Love Can Change the Weather
by Suri.Bright
Summary: Newly appointed Guardian, Jack Frost, has a special mission from the Man in the moon: make 18 yr. old live-in nanny, Cara, believe again. Although Cara has a love for books & stories, making her believe is tougher than anticipated. Soon, the mission becomes personal for Jack: he finds himself falling for a human: his assignment. JackxOC
1. Chapter 1

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 1  
_**

**_**Author's note: For all characters from Dreamwork's "Rise of the Guardians", I claim none of the characters._**

Story inspired by the song "Chances" by Five for Fighting...also, I wanted to write something Christmas-y during this holiday season. I hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

"…Looking up to the man in the moon, good old Jack Frost smiled as he watched his snow fall on the happy town. The end."

"Read it again, read it again!"

I couldn't help but smile at Ellie's enthusiasm for bedtime stories. The way she bounced up and down in her bed, snuggly tucked under her pink comforter was so cute I nearly gave in to her request. Glancing at the clock on her nightstand I let responsibility take over and shook my head.

"Ellie, I've already read the story of Jack Frost twice tonight," I said with a laugh, tucking a stray strand of baby fine blonde hair behind the 5 year old's ear. "Also, I've read it every night this week. Don't you want a story about Santa Claus or Rudolph? Christmas is a month away."

"No, Jack is my favorite," Ellie said with all the loyalty a five year old girl could muster. Briefly she cocked her head to the side as if listening to something before smiling mischievously.

"You got that look on your face," I said, poking her tummy. "What are you thinking?"

"Cara, can you keep a secret?"

Putting a finger to my chin, I pretended to think about it for a moment. "Of course, Ellie. What's your secret?"

Ellie looked around before waving me closer to her. Pushing my long dark hair back so it wouldn't fall in her face I turned my ear to little Ellie so she could whisper whatever she needed to tell me. Her warm, sweet baby breath tickled my ear.

"Jack Frost is in the room right now."

Sitting up I looked down at her. "Oh really, where is Jack Frost now?"

"Right there," said Ellie, pointing to the bench by her window. I looked to the windowsill seat and saw that it was vacant as ever. Briefly looking out the window, I saw the moon bright and full, reflecting off the snow-topped roofs of the expensive neighborhood.

"Oh, is Jack big, fat, and jolly like Santa Claus?"

Ellie giggled. "No, he's really skinny and has white hair and blue eyes. Can't you see him?" Ellie looked from the window to me, her wide blue eyes stared at me with such intensity that I wished I could believe her.

"All I see is snow and a full moon, Ellie," I said. "I don't see Jack Frost."

"He thinks you're really pretty, too."

"Well you can tell Jack that he doesn't have to be shy, he can tell me himself."

"He is trying to tell you, you just can't see or hear him!"

"Well, maybe he likes you more than me," I said, fluffing Ellie's pillows. "As for you, little missy, it is way past your bedtime." Leaning forward I kissed Ellie on the forehead. "Good night, Ellie. Sweet dreams."

Ellie sighed as though in all her five years, she had all the knowledge in the world, and I, at 17, knew nothing in comparison to her vast knowledge of mythical creatures. Even so, she smiled sweetly as she hugged her teddy closer to her. "Good night, Cara. You're the best nanny ever."

Her sweet words warmed my heart as I closed the door softly behind me.

Ellie looked to the windowsill where Jack had been sitting, listening to the bedtime story, as he had every night for the past month. "I'm sorry Cara doesn't see you, Jack," Ellie whispered from her bed. "Why doesn't she believe in you?"

Jack chuckled softly as he ran his hand through his wintry white hair. Standing up, he took his staff in his hand and gently pushed open the window with it. "I don't know, Ellie. Sometimes when you get older, you just stop believing, I guess."

"I'll never stop believing," Ellie said, sitting up suddenly. "And I'll make Cara believe in you too!"

Jack couldn't help but smile at Ellie's determination. He reminded her so much of his little sister. "Thank you, Ellie," he said. "Now, Cara's right, it's past your bedtime."

"Good night, Jack," Ellie said, stifling a yawn as Jack got ready to jump out of her window and into the chilly night. "Wait, Jack?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"When Cara sees you, are you gonna marry her?"

Jack felt his cool cheeks warm up at Ellie's childish question. "Good night, Ellie," he simply said before slipping into the night.

Walking down the stairs I shook my head as I heard Ellie talk to her imaginary friend Jack Frost. For the past month I've heard her talk to him every night after I told her goodnight. The only logical explanation is that Ellie must have reached the age where kids create imaginary friends.

In the living room below I stopped and basked in the quiet and solitude taking in the soft twinkling lights set up about the house and strung along the tall Christmas tree in the corner. As beautiful as the house looked and as cute as Ellie was, I hated this house and felt sorry for Ellie, the little girl I came to love. Her parents were always away on business, and I had been hired as a live-in nanny three months ago. Suddenly the quietness became too overwhelming, and I laughed softly as I walked to the large window overlooking a sleeping neighborhood.

" "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,"", I quoted in a quiet voice that seemed too loud for the night. Rubbing my arms to create friction, I watched for a moment as the sidewalks became blanketed in fresh snow.

Glancing at my reflection in the window, I stared into my own deep brown eyes and long dark hair. I was shorter than average, but I was okay with that. At 18, I've only had one boyfriend, but he rarely if ever told me I was beautiful. I smiled softly. I didn't believe I was the most beautiful girl on the planet, but I didn't believe I was bad looking either.

Looking at the moon I sighed. "Well, Man in the moon, if Ellie's Jack Frost is real, maybe you can make him real to me too. God knows it'd be nice if I didn't have another lonely holiday season." Turning around I unplugged the lights for the night and headed to the guest suite, yes, suite, that I called home.

I still failed to notice Jack Frost outside the window, watching me talk to the Man in the mood, and I failed to notice the frost forming on the window behind me in the shape of a flower.

Jack stared for a long time, long after I left the window. Then long after I went to bed he sat on the roof of the house, contemplating up at the Man in the moon. Carefully Jack created snowflakes to occupy his hands as he thought. He had been a Guardian for less than a year, and this was his first mission that the Man in the moon told him was solely his. His mission was to get that girl to believe for some reason.

"Well, big guy, looks like I have my work cut out for me, huh?" Jack stood and brushed off the seat of his pants. With a laugh he called to the wind to take him high into the sky. Jack's heart soared with the rush of exhilaration he got every time he floated with the snow flakes. Still, as he laughed out loud enjoying the cool rush of air against his face, he couldn't get his mind off of the "best nanny ever" and how beautiful he found her.

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****Author's note: well..I'm a Christian, and I plan on putting a faith spin in this as well. So...enjoy! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 2  
_**

* * *

Jack sat back as he watched North tinker in his personal Winter Wonderland of a room. With the stress of Christmas, North often came in here for a break and to take his mind off of things. Since becoming a Guardian, Jack spent much of his time with the giant Guardian of Wonder, occasionally helping out here and there.

"So," said North in his thick Russian accent, "you make friends again with Tooth?"

"We never really _stopped_ being friends," Jack said defensively. "Things are just…different now."

There was a time in which Jack and Tooth dated for a few months right after he became a Guardian, but soon Jack realized that he and Tooth were much better as friends. Although they still remained friends, the dynamics of their relationship had changed. Jack felt sorry that he had hurt Tooth by ending the relationship, but he knew in his heart it was for the best, it was a feeling he couldn't explain.

"I see," North nodded solemnly. Sitting up from being hunched over a tiny ice sculpture of a Christmas tree, he clapped Jack heartily on the shoulder. "Things vill get better in time. Now, tell me about dis assignment from Man in moon."

"I don't know," Jack said with a sigh. He was grateful for the change of subject, though. "The Man in the moon told me about a month ago that I need to make this Cara girl believe again. So I've been watching her ever since. She's a nanny for a cute little girl named Ellie who can see me, but Cara still can't."

"How old is this Cara?"

"18," Jack said, absent-mindedly waving his staff, creating more snow and frost for North to work with. Jack briefly remembered he was 18, nearly 19 when he first became Jack Frost.

"So she is already adult," North mused gravely. Stroking his beard he thought for a moment. "I do not know why Man in moon would choose to specifically watch her, but it must be very important. Now then," North stood up and stretched as one of his little helper elves and rushed over with a tray of cookies. Swiping a cookie, North winked at Jack. "Trust your center, Jack. As for me, I go back to work. You can stay and help if you like. I need all cars to be blue."

"Haha, uh, no thanks," Jack chuckled, turning down what he considered to be a "mind-numbing" offer. "But I have business to do."

Pushing open the window, Jack called to the wind to carry him to his assignment.

"Remember, to trust your center," North called to out to Jack.

(-)(-)(-)

"Okay, do you have your lunch box?"

"Check!"

"Scarf?"

"Check!"

"Gloves?"

"Check!"

"Underwear?"

"Don't be silly, Cara!"

"So you don't have your underwear on?!"

"I do!" Ellie giggled as I zipped her into her puffy white jacket. With her fine blonde hair falling against her white jacket, she reminded me of a snowflake.

"Good," I said, laughing along with her. "Let's go to school!"

Buckling Ellie into her booster seat, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Glancing at the clock, I decided to let it go to voicemail; we were running a bit late as it was. Pulling out of the driveway, I glanced in the rearview mirror to see Ellie staring out the window. I smiled to myself. For a 5-year-old girl, she was very thoughtful and pensive. She could still be a brat, as all five year olds are, but Ellie still managed to be one of the wisest kids I knew.

"How about we listen to some Christmas music," I offered, fiddling with the radio.

"Cara, when are Mommy and Daddy coming home?"

"Well," I started doing calculations in my head as I stopped at a stop sign. "Your mom and dad should be back in two days." I glanced back at Ellie before looking forward again and proceeding through the intersection.

"Okay."

"Do you miss your mommy and daddy very much?"

"Yeah. I like you, but I wanna see Mommy and Daddy again."

"I know, honey, I know."

We continued to drive in silence until we reached Ellie's elementary school. After parking, I quickly unbuckled her from her booster seat and helped her put her backpack on before ushering her to her classroom just as the school bell rung.

"Remember to be good, Ellie, and I'll see you after school!"

"See you later," Ellie said, hugging my middle before rushing into class. I waved to her teacher as she closed the door signaling the start of class. Standing there for a minute I watched through the frosted windows as Ellie hung her backpack on a peg and shrugged her marshmallow white coat off before running to sit next to a friend in class.

Shaking my head, I rushed back to my car, determined to make it to my creative writing class at a local community college on time. Without Ellie in the car I changed the radio station to something less festive and more upbeat.

"Where's my book bag…oh, how'd it end up back there," I muttered out loud as I found my school stuff in the backseat instead of the front seat where I could have sworn I put it. "Keep it together, Cara, you're losing it," I sighed into the car as I drove to my class.

"What kind of music is this," asked a voice I could not hear from my passenger seat. I failed to hear and notice that I wasn't alone in my car. Tagging along was none other than Jack Frost. Jack grinned mischievously, looking from the radio to me to back to the radio. "Let's try again."

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…"

"What the—" I frowned at my radio that had suddenly gone from a commercial to a "The Christmas Song". "How did that happen?"

"Jack Frost nipping at your nose," Jack sang along, grinning like a little devil. "Come on, Cara, sing along! Everyone loves this song!"

"Of course it would be about Jack Frost," I groaned, rolling my eyes, trying not to freak out over the fact that my radio just changed on its own.

"The one and only," Jack grinned in response. Watching me from the passenger seat, he frowned a bit. "What's it gonna take to get you to believe, Cara?" Staring out the window Jack heaved a sigh, determined not to give up. He was so used to kids seeing him and believing in him now that my unbelief seemed to cause him grief.

The Christmas Song ended and was soon followed by another upbeat festive song. The community college wasn't too far from the elementary school and soon I pulled into the campus, parked, and quickly walked to class. My unnoticed guest was still following me.

"What class are we going to," asked Jack as he followed me, his long legs easily keeping up with my fast pace. Peeking into my book bag he looked for clues. "Ah, creative writing," he deduced, noticing my notebook uncreatively labeled "creative writing".

Eventually I finally made it to my class only a couple of minutes late. I nodded to my professor in a quick apology as I headed to my seat in the back of the classroom.

"With only 3 weeks left in the semester," my professor continued once I took my seat. "You have one final assignment that will replace a final exam. I want you to write a children's book. I know not all of you are artists and that's okay, I encourage you to be creative. You can draw, you can use computer graphics; I mostly care about your writing. Since it's the holiday season, I want your stories to be centered on the winter holidays."

Jack stood in the back of the classroom, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms loosely across his chest. He stared at all the students and shook his head. Not one of them saw him. He continuously looked at the clock as he listened to the professor drone on. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the professor dismissed the class.

"So," said my friend Robin who sat next to me. "What do you think you'll right your story about? I have a great idea for one on how Santa's reindeer got their name!"

I smiled at Robin. She was a cute blonde a couple years older than me. She was quiet until you got to know her. I had met her on the first day of class and we quickly became close friends.

Jack snorted behind us. "Santa's reindeer? They're ferocious beasts, lady."

"Sounds neat," I said, gathering my belongings as we headed out of class. "I don't know what I should write a story about. Maybe Jack Frost." I was surprised by my own answer, maybe it was because Ellie had me read her a Jack Frost story every night, but a children's story about Jack Frost seemed promising, even if I had no idea what I'd write about.

"Hey now, that's me," said Jack, standing right in front of me. He flinched as I walked right through him, unaware. "How is it you can manage to write a story about me and not believe?"

"I'm sure it'll be great," Robin encouraged. "Oh, by the way, our last fitting is in two weeks, will you be able to make it?" Even though I had known Robin for such a short time, she had gotten engaged shortly after I met her and asked me to be a bridesmaid.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I promised. "You and Ben are so perfect for each other, are you nervous? You're going to be married in February!"

"I know," Robin said dreamily. "I'm more worried about wedding planning right now. Ben's got such a big family, and they're all a bit intimidating, but it's all worth it. Hey, maybe I can set you up with a cousin!"

"Oh well," I laughed nervously, suddenly shy. "I'm okay right now."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Robin before looking at me. For some reason he didn't like this idea for some reason. Weird.

"Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know," Robin said with a wink. "I have to run off to Sociology now, I'll see you later!" Robin and I said goodbye before I headed back to my car; Creative Writing was my only class.

It was then that I remembered that Ellie's mom had left a voicemail for me. Fishing out my phone I played the message as I walked to my car.

"Hey Cara it's Melanie, Ellie's mom, I just wanted to let you know that Greg and I won't be back on Wednesday like we promised, something came up and we're delayed for a week. Please tell Ellie we're sorry and that we love her. We'll try to call later tonight or tomorrow. Bye."

"Oh no," I groaned. Ellie was going to be crushed.

"What's wrong," asked Jack, floating through the air beside me. He searched my face, looking for the answer. At my silence Jack let me walk to my car without him. He watched as I drove away to do errands before picking Ellie up from school. Cursing into the silence of my vehicle my heart broke for Ellie. Her parents were well-known sommeliers that were often travelling the world tasting wines, going to 5-star restaurants, and writing reviews. Much of their reviews were published in popular magazines and newspapers, and they were often invited to very formal parties.

Jack floated into the sky, deep in thought. He wondered what had gotten me so upset and how he could make it better. "Oh Cara," he muttered into the wind as he stopped to bring some winter joy to a couple of kids in a park. "Everything will be okay."

(-)(-)(-)

Several hours later, Jack returned to Ellie's house just as I pulled into the driveway. He watched as Ellie jumped out of the car and I unloaded groceries and carried them to the kitchen.

"Ellie, honey, can I talk to you in the living room," I called after putting the groceries away. My stomach was in knots, knowing what was coming.

"What," she asked, carrying a Barbie with her from her room. "Oh, hi Jack!"

I followed her eyes that seemed to look to my right. "Still seeing Jack Frost," I asked with a slight smile.

"Yep, he says hello."

Looking right, I smiled at the seemingly empty space. "Why hello Jack," I said, playing along for Ellie. I didn't realize that Jack would be taller than me, and I would be speaking to his chest rather than his face.

"Hello to you too," said Jack even though he knew I didn't see him.

Kneeling in front of Ellie I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Taking a deep breath I prayed for the right words before speaking. "Ellie, your mom called me. She said she and your dad won't be home until next week and not in two days like I said. They're going to call you soon though."

"Mommy and Daddy aren't coming home?"

"Not yet, sweetie."

Ellie's big blue eyes got rounder before her face crumpled as she dissolved into tears. I pulled her close as she sobbed onto my shoulder.

"I want mommy and daddy!"

"I know, they'll be home soon. They said they're sorry and that they love you very much."

"No, I want them NOW!"

"It'll be alright, Ellie—"

"NO! Cara, make them come back!"

Ellie continued to sob for a minute more before she quieted down, her breath coming in hiccups. "Why aren't they coming home?"

"They have to work a lot I guess."

"Do they love work more than me?"

Ellie's question nearly brought me to tears. "No, honey, they love you. Sometimes work gets in the way."

"Work is stupid."

"Stupid isn't a nice word to say," I reminded her as I pulled her into a hug. Ellie clung to me tightly.

"Do you like work more than me?"

"Ellie, it's my _job_ to take care of you," I said with a smile. "But I think I like you much more than I like work."

"Maybe mommy and daddy should become my nanny too."

"Maybe," I said with a smile.

"Hey Ellie," said Jack, sadly watching the scene and wanting to do something for the little girl. "Look outside."

Ellie glanced over my shoulder and out the front window. "Snow! Thanks Jack," she shouted happily scrambling from my arms. "Let's go outside, Cara! Please?!"

"Okay," I agreed, startled by her change of heart. "Go get your coat and mittens." Ellie quickly ran to obey as I went to get my coat as well.

Pulling on my lavender jacket I grimaced at the snow. As beautiful as it was, I was born in Southern California where we didn't get snow, so it took a while getting used to this cold weather.

"Okay, ready!" Ellie ran to me at full speed so I could zip her jacket before she took my hand, tugging me toward the backyard.

She ran around the backyard, catching snowflakes on her tongue. I smiled as I put my hands in my pockets, following her around. She seemed to have the time of her life.

"Let's make snow angels!" Ellie fell to the ground and began to move her arms and legs as though doing a backstroke in swimming. "Come on, Cara!"

"Yeah, Cara, c'mon!" Jack waved his staff making more fresh powder snow before lying in the snow to join Ellie.

"But I'm cold," I argued, reluctant to lie on the cold ground.

"Jack wants you to do it too," said Ellie.

"Is that so? Why should I listen to him?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun," said Jack, standing up and walking over to me. "C'mon, Care," he said in a low voice he knew I couldn't hear. "Have a little fun." In his hands he created a shimmering snowflake before blowing it into my face.

It felt as though a cool breeze came out of nowhere, blinking my eyes to get rid of the snowflakes that stuck to my lashes, my heart suddenly felt lighter. Giggles bubbled forth, and I felt the need to play and forget everything else. "I'll make a snow angel too," I finally agreed, lying next to Ellie who cheered for me as I waved my arms and legs back and forth.

"That's more like it," said Jack, looking from me to Ellie who was having the time of her life.

"Cara doesn't like snow that much," Jack said to Ellie. "So no snowball fights quite yet. How about you ask her to make a snowman? I'll help!"

"Let's make a snowman, Cara! Jack wants to help too!"

I carefully stood up to look at my angel. I suddenly regretted not having a childhood filled with snow. "Okay, Ellie," I agreed. "Jack can help too!"

Jack watched as I tried to shake the powder out of my wet hair. His blue eyes seemed to follow my every movement. "Wow," Jack said to himself as he felt his heart flutter and his mind go blank while a smile slowly made its way to his lips. He knew I was his mission assignment, but in his opinion, there was nothing more beautiful than watching me laugh at something he created.

I pressed my hands to my cheeks knowing that they were bright pink from the cold, and I felt my entire back cold from snow seeping into my clothes. Even though my teeth started to chatter from the cold, it felt like I was having the most fun I've had in years. Quickly helping Ellie roll balls of snow, I couldn't help but laugh along with her. Looking up at the sky, closed my eyes as snowflakes fell over us.

"Thanks, Jack," I murmured, grateful for winter. At that moment, the lightest breeze sifted through my damp hair, as though someone was gently brushing snowflakes from my hair.

"Your welcome."

* * *

****Author's note: So...reviews are appreciated! What do you think? Do you want to see more Jack/Cara interaction (as much interaction as possible)? Want to know more about Cara's past?  
**

**Let me know! Until then...I have "dead week" and finals week coming up...  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 3  
_**

**__**_**So, I changed the way the story is written...it is now written in third person's perspective. One day, I might go back and edit the previous chapters...but who knows. :) _

* * *

Putting the last of the dishes from dinner into the dishwasher, Cara turned the washer on before heading to the living room to look for Ellie. Smiling gently, Cara found Ellie on the couch that was near the front window, staring intently at the quiet road with her favorite Jack Frost story next to her. Pulling her long dark hair over her shoulder, Cara joined Ellie on the couch, watching the little girl.

"Mommy and Daddy are going to be here soon, right?"

"They should be," Cara answered, checking the time on her phone. "Their plane got in a little while ago, so they should be here soon."

"You promise?" Ellie tore her gaze from the window and met Cara's brown-eyed stare, almost begging her nanny to somehow make her parents come home.

Promises were something Cara took very seriously, she didn't believe in making promises that one didn't intend to keep. However, the look in Ellie's blue eyes made her want to make the girl's every wish come true. "Yes, I promise your mom and dad will be home tonight. Now how about we read your favorite Christmas story before they get here?"

"Okay," Ellie agreed, grabbing the storybook before snuggling on my lap again.

"Okay," I started, opening the book to the first page. "Once upon a time there was a snowman named Jack Frost…"

Several minutes later, Cara finished the story and Ellie got up from her lap and looked out the window. "They're still not here yet," she said, her tone heavy with sadness.

"They'll be here. Sometimes it takes a really long time to get home from the airport," Cara reminded her.

"Okay," she muttered.

Frowning, Cara racked her brain for something to keep Ellie occupied. Her parents had not called or texted Cara since they landed nearly an hour ago. Cara figured they were stuck in heavy traffic because of the snow and hoped they'd simply get back safely. Looking down at the book in her hands, Cara ran her fingers over the giant Snow Man on the cover that was supposed to be Jack Frost.

"Hey, Ellie," Cara asked slowly.

"What?"

"Does Jack Frost look anything like the snowman in this book?"

Ellie stared at Cara like she had just asked if the sky was blue or some other ridiculous question, it took all of her discipline not to laugh at Ellie's serious expression. "No, I told you, he's tall and skinny, and he's got white hair."

"Oh so he's old?"

"Yeah, he's kinda old like you."

"You think I'm old?!"

"Yeah," answered Ellie simply.

"I'm not that old," Cara said with a laugh. "So Jack Frost is old like me," I repeated. "What else is he like?"

Ellie finally took the bait, turned away from the window and sat on the couch, her legs dangling over the seat cushions. "Well," she said, wondering where to begin. "I see him every day. He has really white skin and carries a long stick that's looks like a candy cane. Also, his skin is really cold, just like the snow. He likes to laugh and play snowball fights. He likes to go sledding too and says you should take me."

"Oh really," Cara asked, amazed by Ellie's ingenuity. "Is Jack Frost with us right now?"

"No, he went to see his friend Jaime tonight."

"That's fascinating," Cara said, poking Ellie's belly which made her laugh. "What else does Jack say about me?"

"Hm," she cocked her head to the side in thought. "He told me you're really pretty, and he says we can't play snowball fights with you."

"Why not?"

"Because he knows you don't like snow very much and he doesn't want to make you mad. Cara, sometimes you make Jack sad."

"What?" Cara raised her eyebrow as a feeling of guilt dropped heavily in her stomach. She ignored the goose bumps she got when Ellie said that she didn't like snow. Cara never told the kid she didn't like snow that much. Cara didn't _hate_ it, she simply tolerated it. She enjoyed it much better when she was inside and not outside. Being born and raised in Southern California spoiled her, and getting used to the snow was difficult. "I make Jack sad?"

Ellie nodded solemnly.

"Why?"

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. "Because you don't believe in him," she answered simply. "He tries to make you happy a lot and he tries to talk to you and it makes him sad when you don't hear him."

Cara sat there in silence as Ellie watched her. Shaking her head, Cara was at a loss for words. Something stirred inside of Cara. Ellie couldn't have made this up, but Cara refused to believe that the little girl was seeing anything more than an imaginary friends. As much as Cara loved to read fairytales, she knew they didn't exist, not for her anyway. She stopped believing in them a long time ago.

Looking at Ellie, Cara didn't have the heart to tell her Jack Frost wasn't real, if Ellie's belief made her happy, Cara would do everything she could to protect the girl's happiness and innocence.

A honk into the silent night startled Cara who looked out the window to see a taxi cab pull into the driveway.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Ellie scrambled off the couch and to the front door. Throwing it open she ran outside without her shoes.

"Eleanor! My baby!"

Cara hung back as she watched Melanie scoop her daughter into her arms as Greg came out of the car to hug his wife and child. Blinking rapidly, Cara wiped at her eyes as tears threatened to spill at the touching scene. Melanie walked in with Ellie clinging to her neck as Greg paid the cab driver who helped carry their bags to the front door.

"You were right, Cara," said Ellie with a grin. "Mommy and Daddy did come back!"

"Oh, of course," said Cara, even though she had nothing to do with it.

Melanie smiled at Cara over Ellie's strong hugs. "Thank you so much, Cara for taking care of little Eleanor. I can never thank you enough."

"Mommy, it's _Ellie_, I don't like Eleanor," Ellie corrected, making a face at her full name.

"Oh right, forgive me, Ellie darling. Oh guess what? Your father and I will be with you for a good 5 weeks. No more travelling for a little while."

"Yay!"

Greg nodded at Cara before he took his and his wife's bags upstairs. Melanie sat on the couch with Ellie in her lap. "Now tell me, sweetie what have you done while we've been gone?"

"I went to school, and I played a lot, and Cara made cookies, and Jack Frost visits all the time, and—"

Cara smiled as she walked to her suite to give mother and daughter some privacy. Gathering several supplies and stuffing them into her book bag she decided she would give the family some time to reunite in private. Wrapping a red infinity scarf around her neck, Cara went back to the living room where Greg had joined his wife and daughter.

Melanie got up when Cara entered.

"Oh, don't mind me," said Cara, "I'm just going to Ruth's Diner to do homework."

"Okay," said Melanie. Smiling, she pulled Cara into a hug. "Thank you for taking care of my baby," she repeated.

"No problem, I love Ellie," Cara answered with all her heart. "She's wonderful."

"She is," Melanie agreed. Handing Cara a sealed envelope, Melanie winked at the nanny. "Here's a small bonus from Greg and me."

"Oh, uh, thanks," said Cara, plastering on a smile before she left the large house. Once in her car, Cara ran her hands through her long hair in frustration. As kind as Melanie and Greg were, they weren't fit to be Ellie's parents. They were always gone and they never got to really experience how wonderful their daughter was. As Cara pulled her car out of the driveway, she found herself crying as she drove the icy roads. At a stop sign, her car fishtailed slightly, startling her.

Wiping furiously at her tears, Cara found herself suddenly angry at Ellie's parents and the bonus money they gave her. It was like they were trying to buy forgiveness. It reminded her so much of her parents that it nearly sickened her. Taking in a deep shuddering death, Cara attempted to relax and remain alert for the rest of her drive. It had begun to snow again.

Jack waited in front of Ruth's Diner, glancing up when Cara's car pulled into the nearly empty parking lot. He had been hanging out with his friend Jamie when something told him to go find Cara. Carried by the wind, he floated over to Cara as she got out of her car.

Even though he knew it was pointless to talk to her, he still spoke. "What's wrong, Cara?" He noticed that her brown eyes were rimmed with red as she walked toward the restaurant. Jack frowned as he trailed after the girl who failed to get off his mind.

"Why hey there, Care, where's your little sidekick?"

Cara smiled as Ruth, the restaurant owner, greeted her. "Ellie's parents came home tonight so I wanted to give them time alone."

"That's really sweet of you, dear," said Ruth with a genuine grin. Ruth was in her mid-thirties with curly blonde hair and sparkling green eyes that saw the goodness in the world behind black-framed glasses. She wore a silly red Christmas sweater that fit her personality so well. Despite her relatively young age, Ruth reminded Cara of a grandmother.

Sliding into her usual booth, Ruth handed Cara a menu. Seeing the look on the young lady's face, Ruth was filled with compassion. "How about a couple of my famous cookies on me?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that, I can pay—"

"Nonsense," said Ruth with a wave of her hand. "Anything for one of my favorite customers."

"Thanks, Ruth, but I _will_ pay for coffee. I have a project due for Creative Writing."

"Oh? What's the project?"

"I need to come up with a children's book," said Cara, pulling out paper, pencils, and colored pencils. "I think my story is going to be about Jack Frost."

"Very nice, Cara. I'll be right back with your cookies and coffee."

Jack slid into the seat across from Cara as Ruth went to get her order. "She seems nice," he said as he watched Cara set up her work space.

"Oh man, where do I begin," Cara muttered as she stared at a blank page.

"Start by believing in me," answered Jack. "If you believe, you can see me, and if you see me, I can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Jack Frost."

Ruth returned with a plate of cookies and a pot of coffee. Cara smiled and thanked the kind restaurant owner.

"Anything else I can get you," asked Ruth?

"No, I think I'm good," Cara said. "Oh wait, Ruth?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you believe in Santa Claus and Jack Frost and all those fairy tales?"

"Well of course I do, dear," said Ruth. As soon as she said those words, Jack seemed to materialize before her. "Well I'll be…"

Jack looked up and realized the woman could see him. "You can see me?"

Cara followed Ruth's gaze to the seat across from her. In her opinion, it was empty, but apparently Ruth was seeing something.

"Uhm, Ruth, are you okay?"

"You mean you don't…" Ruth trailed off, realizing Cara didn't see Jack. "Say, Cara, do _you_ believe in Jack Frost and Santa Claus?"

"No, I don't."

"Do you believe in anything?"

"Well…" Cara frowned at Ruth's question. She was silent for a moment. Both Jack and Ruth waited in the thick silence for Cara to answer.

"I believe in God," Cara finally answered. "Kind of."

"That's wonderful," said Ruth. "If you're going to believe in anything, you gotta believe in Him. That's what I say anyway. But you can't forget to believe in the magic and wonder of the world."

"Isn't that a contradiction? Believing in God and believing in magic?"

"Depends on what kind of magic you believe in, honey. I'm talking about the kind of magic that can only come from the good Lord. Maybe things like Santa Claus and Jack Frost and the Easter Bunny are His names for His Guardian Angels to help kids learn to believe in Him."

Ruth shook her head, and smiled gently, briefly glancing at Jack and then back at Cara. "Well," she said as a customer walked into the diner, "I can't make you believe in anything, but I will encourage you to search your heart for the little girl that's there longing to believe in something good."

"Thanks, Ruth."

Cara nibbled half-heartedly on one of Ruth's amazing cookies. Putting it back on the platter she stared out the window for a long time. Jack stared at Cara's profile, finding it hard to swallow. He remembered the moments he found Tooth cute, but those moments dimmed in comparison to Cara. Her long brown hair was pulled into a simple ponytail, and some of the shorter pieces fell free, framing her face. Without thinking, Jack moved from his side of the booth to her side and sat next to her.

"I don't know if I can afford to believe," Cara murmured to herself before looking down at the blank pages on the table.

Closing her eyes momentarily she reopened them and began to write.

Jack watched as she began to write a story about him, reading as she wrote. "Long ago there was a boy named Jack who loved to have fun and play in the snow. His favorite thing to do was have snowball fights. Then one day…"

Jack grinned as Cara bent over her work, getting lost in her own world. "Looks good so far," he said as he stole a part of Cara's partially eaten cookie. He looked up to see Ruth watching him intently, and Jack felt heat rush to his cool cheeks.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything," he said, raising his hands.

Ruth raised an eyebrow.

"I promise! She can't even see me."

"You better make a believer out of her then," said Ruth before walking to check on her other customer.

"Great cookies by the way," Jack called after her, chuckling at the woman's protectiveness.

Feeling bold, Jack reached out to touch Cara's hand, not terribly surprised when he went right through her. With a sigh he stood and reached for his staff, deciding to let her be for the night. Walking out into the cold snowy atmosphere he paused in front of the window where she was.

"I would give anything to have you believe in me right now," he said. Blowing on the glass, frost began to crystallize on the window, and in the frost Jack drew a flower before flying off to make mischief in the night.

* * *

****Author's note: There's a part in the story where Cara is asked what she believes...her beliefs do not necessarily reflect my beliefs. Any questions/comments/concerns about that kind of thing, feel free to message me!  
**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!  
:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 4  
_**

* * *

"Are you sure you wanna do this," Cara asked as she held Ellie's tiny gloved hand, and in her other hand she dragged a wooden sleigh behind her as they trudged to the highest hill in the neighborhood. After much pleading and capturing Cara with big puppy dog eyes, Ellie succeeded in getting her nanny to take her sledding for the day. It started off with small hills and runs where Cara could watch from the bottom as Ellie squealed with delight all the way to Cara's feet. As the day wore on, Ellie started to feel more and more bold, finally making her want to try the tallest hill where only the big kids go.

"Yeah! It's gonna be so much fun! Jack's been here all day with all the kids and he promised that for the last hill he'd go with us!"

"How nice of him," said Cara with more enthusiasm than she actually felt. Even so, she couldn't help but scan the area, not quite sure what, or rather, _who_, she was looking for. Even if she did know what to look for, she knew it was pointless. Jack Frost wasn't real, as far as she was concerned.

"Come on, Cara, we're almost there," Ellie said, tugging on her hand excitedly, extracting Cara from her thoughts as they climbed the last couple of yards to the top of the hill. Ellie smiled at Jack who waited for them at the top of the hill. He winked at Ellie before he sent one of the kids down the run with a push.

Cara and Ellie watched as several other kids went down the hill using sleigh, trash can lids, boxes, and other various items to make their rides faster. Finally, they were the last ones at the top of the hill.

"A-are you sure you want to do this," asked Cara, pressing a hand nervously to her stomach. The height was making her woozy, wishing more than anything she could watch from the bottom.

"Come on, Cara," said Jack, floating around the nanny. His spirits were high that day as all the neighborhood kids and their families frolicked in the winter snow. "You'll be fine!"

"LET'S DO IT," Ellie exclaimed, pumping a little pink-gloved fist into the air, reaching for the sleigh that Cara still held.

"Hold up for a second, Ellie," said Jack, noticing Cara's sudden rigidity. "Looks like Cara's a little scared. You should tell her how much fun she's going to have and how safe it is."

Glancing up at her nanny, Ellie didn't quite understand how Jack new Cara was scared, but she would do what it took to make her nanny feel better. Taking Cara's hand, Ellie squeezed it gently and smiled at her.

"You know what I do when I get scared?"

"And what is that," Cara asked, crouching down so she would be at eye-level with Ellie.

"When I get scared, I sometimes close my eyes and pretend I'm somewhere else. Then when I open my eyes, everything is better." Ellie smiled and tugged at the soft rim of Cara's red beanie. "You can cover your eyes with your hat when we go down!"

Laughing out loud, Cara stood up and tucked her long dark hair behind her ear. "I'll be okay," she said, her heart warmed by Ellie's intuitiveness. "After this we'll have hot chocolate when we go home!"

"Yay!"

"Good job, Ellie," said Jack, ruffling Ellie's hair as Cara took the sleigh to the edge of the tall hill. Watching Cara position the sleigh at the edge of the tall hill, Jack couldn't help but smile at Cara's slight fear of heights. Yet, he found it impressive that she would still agree to set aside her fear or Ellie.

"Okay, sit here," Cara said, patting the spot in front of her as she scooted toward the back of the sleigh to give the little girl space to situate herself.

"Get ready for the ride of your life, Ellie," Jack said with a wink as Ellie got comfortable.

Squatting beside Cara, Jack stared at Cara for a moment. He noticed that her nose was slightly pink with cold, and that her brown eyes were framed with the longest lashes he'd ever seen. A grin split across Jack's face as he stared at the girl who had momentarily enchanted him. "You look more like you're on a death march instead of enjoying the snow. Let me help you have fun." Conjuring a delicate snowflake out of thin air, Jack gently blew it into Cara's face where it obscured her vision for a couple of seconds. Once Cara could see again, her body visibly relaxed as she found her fears forgotten.

"Ready, Ellie," she said, feeling light as a feather and like a kid all over again.

"Yep!"

"Let's go!"

"That's the spirit, Cara," said Jack as he helped Cara push the sleigh down the hill.

Without warning, the sleigh flew down the slope at breakneck speed. Both Ellie and Cara screamed with delight as Jack flew beside them, reveling in their enjoyment.

"If you think, that's fun, watch this!" Falling behind the sleigh, Jack flicked his staff so that the sleigh veered to the left to go off a jump, making the sleigh go several feet into the air. Making sure the sleigh would not tip, Jack then sent Cara and Ellie in a sharp turn, causing the sleigh to spin a couple of times before it continued the journey down, then finally, just before they reached the bottom, Jack sent the sleigh off a final jump that sent them flying once more before coming to a skidding halt.

Taking deep breaths, Cara scooted off the slide and lied in the snow for a while, laughing to herself. She glanced at Ellie who wore a goofy grin and whose face was red from the wind.

"That was so fun," Ellie yelled, pumping both fists into the air. "Did you see how high we went in the air, Cara? It was even taller than Daddy! Did you see how fast Jack made us go?"

"I saw, Ellie, I saw," said Cara, sitting up and shaking the snow out of her wind-tangled hair. With Jack's mischief still running through her veins she carefully packed a snowball and threw it at Ellie's stomach.

Ellie blinked for a moment before declaring "snowball fight," on Cara, running after her nanny with handfuls of snow. Rushing to her feet, Cara retreated as the little girl attempted to run after her.

"Hey, this isn't a fair fight," said Jack, expertly making a snowball for Ellie to throw at Cara. As Ellie threw the snowball, Jack helped Ellie meet her target, which happened to be Cara's backside.

"Cold, cold, cold!" Cara touched the seat of her jeans, knowing the snow had seeped in past her jeans and chilled her skin. "I'll get you for that!"

Running after Ellie, Cara scooped the girl into her arms and tickled her, causing the girl to squeal with delight.

"That's cute," said Jack, watching the girls laugh in the snow. Again the feeling came back in the pit of his stomach as he watched Cara's dark hair fall over her shoulders, contrasting against Ellie's blonde hair and the whiteness of the snow. He felt his cheeks darken with a blush when he watched Cara throw her head back in laughter.

He had spent the better part of the last couple of months with Cara, and he had come to realize that not only did he want Cara to believe in him in order to complete his mission; he wanted Cara to believe in him for _him_. He wanted to be part of her life as she learned to delight in snow. He wanted to take her hand and show her all the cool things he had seen in the past several hundred years of living. He wanted all of this, and most importantly, he wanted to tell her how cute she was when she had snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes and long hair.

"Ready to go get some hot chocolate," Cara asked, when she noted Ellie's little teeth chattering.

"Yeah! Can I invite, Jack?"

"You sure can," Cara agreed. She was skeptical about Ellie's insistence on inviting Jack everywhere, but she decided the child's belief was harmless since she functioned normally in every other aspect.

"Hey, Jack," called Ellie, shaking Jack from his thoughts. "Cara says you can come have hot chocolate with us!"

"Awesome," said Jack, waving at the little blonde girl. "I'll be there a bit late, but go ahead without me."

"Jack says we can go without him," Ellie informed Cara as they walked hand-in-hand home.

(-)(-)(-)

Ellie and Cara sat snuggled under Cara's puffy comforter in her room as they sipped hot chocolate. On Cara's nightstand was an extra mug of hot chocolate in case Jack showed up.

"Remember when I worked on the Jack Frost story for class," asked Cara.

"Yeah, did you get an A+ on it," asked Ellie, carefully blowing on her warm drink.

"I got an A, yes," said Cara with a laugh. "But I did promise to read it to you once I got it back from my teacher. Do you want me to read it to you now?"

"Yes please!"

Cara grinned as she got out of the bed to retrieve her project. At that moment, Jack Frost made an appearance and sat on the foot of Cara's bed as she crawled back in beside Ellie.

"Is that hot chocolate for me," asked Jack, pointing to the mug on the nightstand.

"Yep," said Ellie. "Cara's going to read the story she wrote about you."

Cara smiled, choosing to ignore Ellie's talking to what appeared to be thin air. Handing Ellie her project, Ellie carefully looked through each page at the drawings Cara did. Her eyebrows furrowed after a minute.

"Is something wrong," asked Cara.

"Cara, you're not a very good drawer," said Ellie. "Maybe you should practice more, and then you'll get really really good!"

"Maybe I should," said Cara, gently tugging on Ellie's blonde locks. Cara knew she wasn't the best of artists, but she still found herself offended by Ellie's comment. "Hopefully my story will be better that my drawing!"

Snuggling closer, Ellie watched as Cara turned to the first page and began to read. "Once there was a boy named Jack Frost. His hair was as white as snow and eyes as blue as can be. Jack loved to have fun and play pranks. One day…"

Jack grinned at Cara's description of him. He ran a hand through his messy white hair. For a girl who didn't believe in him, Cara seemed to describe him perfectly. Setting his staff on the ground, Jack lied back on Cara's bed, using his arms to support his head. Closing his eyes, he listened to her read to Cara, imagining the story as Cara wove a beautiful tale into the air.

"…with a blow of his cool breath, Jack breathed over the sleepy town, covering the houses and trees in snow for all the children that would enjoy the snow the next day. The end."

"That was really good, Cara," said Ellie, stifling a yawn, as she fought to keep her eyes open. "Read it again?"

"Yeah, Care, read it again," said Jack, propping himself up on an elbow.

"How about you take a nap first and then I'll read it when you wake up," asked Cara, sliding from under the covers, letting Ellie nap in her room.

"But I'm not sleepy," Ellie weakly protested. Soon she was fast asleep within the minute.

"She's a great kid," said Jack, watching Cara collect the empty mugs of hot chocolate.

Cara stared at the mug of chocolate that was meant for Jack. "Better get your chocolate before it gets cold, Jack," she said before taking the empty mugs to the kitchen.

"Oh, Cara dear, is Eleanor asleep," asked Melanie who was starting dinner in the kitchen.

"Yep, sledding today tired her out," said Cara, putting the mugs in the dishwasher.

"How precious," said Melanie, chopping vegetables. "Oh, tomorrow you can have the day off. Greg and I are taking Eleanor ice-skating. We're going to make a day trip of it. You can come if you like, but I figured you might like time to yourself."

"Oh thank you," said Cara. "A day off would be great! Ellie's going to love a little vacation too."

"I hope she does," agreed Melanie with a smile. "Oh, by the way, do you know if Eleanor has any friends named Jack?"

Cara stilled for a moment. She didn't know how to answer this question. "I-I'm not sure," she said carefully. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, because Eleanor often mentions a boy named Jack. She talks about him almost as much as she talks about you."

"Oh," said Cara with a smile. "Lately she's made an imaginary friend out of Jack Frost. Since the snow started, she got it in her head that Jack Frost creates the snow, and from there, she's created an imaginary friend."

"An imaginary friend," asked Melanie. "How interesting…"

"I'm sure it'll be okay," said Cara, suddenly defensive of Ellie. "All kids come up with imaginary friends at some point."

"I'm sure you're right, Cara," said Melanie as she added vegetables to a pot. "Can you make sure Eleanor is awake by the time dinner is ready?"

Cara agreed before she headed back to her room. She watched Ellie sleep for a minute, her stomach gently rising and falling with every breath. Going over to her nightstand, Cara picked up the mug of hot chocolate that was on her nightstand.

"Oh…that's strange. I thought I made a full cup," Cara muttered, swirling the half-mug of hot chocolate before taking a sip. It had now become lukewarm.

"I wasn't finished with that!" Jack was by Cara's bookshelf reading some of the titles of the books. While she was in the kitchen, Jack took the time to look around her room. He noticed her large bookshelf crammed with books and decided that she liked reading. There were also a few paintings done by Ellie that she had on her wall; Jack could easily tell how much Cara loved the girl. However, he couldn't find any pictures of her childhood which was strange.

Watching Cara curl up in her armchair by the window with his hot chocolate, a book, and a blanket, Jack smiled at the skeptical young woman as she watched the snow fall before cracking open her book and sipping the chocolate once more.

"That's okay, I'll let you finish the hot chocolate," said Jack, picking up his staff that was leaning against the bookshelf. "I think I need to pay a visit to the Tooth Fairy." With one last glance, Jack promised Cara he would visit again soon before leaving her to enjoy the snow.

* * *

**Author's Note: YES! School is out, I've never been so happy to be on Winter Holiday! For me this means reading books, catching up on _Community_, _Merlin_, _How I Met Your Mother_, and of course with wonderful friends and family. For YOU this means more updates! Woo!  
**

**Thank you all so much for reviewing this story. It really really helps! So, please continue to do your part and review! :) Merry Christmas, everyone! (Or...Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 5  
_**

* * *

Cara woke up briefly early the next morning to see Ellie and her parents off before going back to bed for a couple more hours. While she slept, Cara had dreams of flying, despite her fear of heights. In her dreams she was flying high over rooftops and trees during the night. She found herself wearing a long, flowing, light red dress and she was not cold, despite the snow she saw below her. In her dream Cara was flying upward toward a bright full moon, and she was filled with a sense of urgency. Within the shadows of the moon, Cara thought she saw a figure take shape to talk to her. Looking around, she realized she was not below. Several feet below her was a boy her age with hair as white as snow, the bluest eyes she's ever seen and a staff. He waved her on with a big smile…

Sitting up in bed, Cara looked around her room, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath and calm her rapidly beating heart. Sunlight filtered through the blinds of her window, and Cara found she was alone. There was no man in the moon to talk to and no Jack Frost encouraging her with a surprisingly charming smile. Running her hands through her thick hair, Cara drew her knees to her chest.

"What a weird dream," she murmured, her heart beginning to beat at a normal pace again. "Ellie's managed to get me to dream about Jack Frost." Showing off her covers, Cara got out of bed, stretching briefly before softly padding over to her window. Peeking through the blinds she noticed the sun shining over snow covered grounds. She knew that if Ellie were there the little bundle of energy would be bouncing up and down begging her to go play.

Today, however, was Cara's first day off in a long time. With the semester finished, several hours, and a large house all to herself, Cara was in no particular hurry as she got ready for the day late that morning. After her shower, Cara threw on a hoodie and a pair of old jeans to lounge in as she made herself a cup of tea, planning to get cozy with a good book. As she waited for the kettle to boil, Cara couldn't help but think about her dream. She knew she had stranger dreams before, but maybe it was because of Ellie's relentless belief in Jack Frost that she found herself spooked that she would even dream of him.

He was kind of cute though, Cara thought to herself as she remembered Jack's blue eyes. Shaking her head, Cara laughed at herself, deciding that she's been single for too long to even think that a fictional character in her dream was cute.

(-)(-)(-)

Jack flew the familiar route to a realm he rarely visited anymore. The closer he got to his destination, the easier it became to see a palace of sorts bathed in pink and golden lights.

As Jack neared the palace, he could see tiny little fairies flying to and from the palace, their little wings beating rapidly, similar to a hummingbird. One of the littlest fairies managed to see him, and flew to him with a bright smile and eager face.

"Baby Tooth!"

Baby Tooth perched herself on Jack's shoulder, nuzzling his neck in the form of a hug. Jack chuckled lightly at Baby Tooth's affection. "It's been a while since we've seen each other, huh?"

Baby Tooth nodded in reply, her little face scrunching in sadness.

"Yeah, I miss you too," he said, offering a slight smile. "But your place is here with Tooth, and protecting memories. Speaking of Tooth, is she around?"

Baby Tooth once again nodded in reply.

Carefully landing in Tooth's palace, Jack looked around the place that was made up of the loose teeth of children.

"Oh, Jack! Long time no see! How are you doing?!"

"Hey, Tooth! I'm go—"

Jack barely had enough time to brace himself before Tooth came at him, a blur of bright colors and wings, with a flying hug that nearly knocked him off his feet.

"Oh, sorry," she said, briefly squeezing him, before backing away, still in flight. "I get so excited and, oh let me see your teeth again." Before Jack could consent, Tooth's fingers were in his mouth, prying apart his pale lips, looking at his teeth. She sighed dreamily. "Still as lovely and white as ever, dear. Anyway, it's been so long since I've seen you! I know you're on your mission from the head honcho in the Moon and all, so you're definitely busy, but we've missed you."

Jack noticed that several of Tooth's fairies floated around her, sighing dreamily at him. He usually tried to ignore them to save himself the trouble of blushing and embarrassment.

"I know, I miss you too, Tooth," Jack honestly responded. Even though he no longer had the same feelings for Tooth, he missed her companionship. In spite of their rocky dating relationship, he still considered her one of his closest friends.

"So what brings you here," asked Tooth, folding her hands in front of her with a sweet smile. "Are you here just to visit or can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, yes, you can," said Jack, switching his staff from his right hand to his left. "I'm looking for memories."

"You've come to the right place then, Jack! Are you looking for yours or…?"

"I'm looking for Cara's memories," said Jack as he began to follow Tooth as she led him to where she stored the memories and teeth of children. "I know it's my mission and all and I shouldn't have to trouble you guys—"

"Trouble? What? Oh no, no, no, no," said Tooth, speaking in her usually fast manner. She giggled behind her hand. "Jack, it's okay to ask for help. The Man in the Moon occasionally assigns each of us our own missions, it's our jobs as Guardians, you know, but it doesn't mean we can't _ask_ for help! See, you came to me for information about your assignment, and I'll help you as much as I can, but it's up to _you_ what you do with that information. Get it?"

Jack grinned. "Thanks, Tooth. I knew I could count on you for help."

"O-oh, anytime," replied Tooth, attempting to hide her blush. Although she had mostly gotten over the ending of their relationship, she still found Jack to be quite handsome. "Follow me."

"I don't know what it is, Tooth," said Jack, mindlessly talking now. He had talked very little about his assignment, and having someone to talk about it with was relieving. "I've been watching her for a good three months now, which after being alive for 300 years would seem like no time at all, but Cara's stubborn. The kid she takes care of sees me with no problem, but Cara still refuses to believe. I just don't get it. Cara even pretends to believe in all of us just to make Ellie happy. It's cute really, but still. I don't understand what more I can do. I've tried leaving her messages on the window, I've tried enchanting her, I've tried everything, but nothing seems to work!" Jack shook his head in frustration. He finally looked up at Tooth and their surroundings to see that Tooth had taken him to the place where she stored memories and teeth that didn't make-up her palace. The surrounding area was a beautiful garden, and on the side of what looked like a giant mountain was an intricate design made up of the casings of stored memories.

Flitting over to the wall, Tooth called over her shoulder, "You said her name was Cara, right? What's her last name?"

"Cara Stone," Jack replied, slowly making his way over as Tooth flitted from one side of the wall of memories to the other. "She's got really long dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a nice smile. She also really loves kids and doesn't like snow much either. I wonder if she grew up in a place without snow, that's why I don't remember her. Even if there wasn't snow, there would be frost. It's weird that I have no memory of her, I usually remember the faces of the kids I meet." Jack frowned in thought as he tried in vain to remember a childhood Cara.

"Stone, Stone, Cara Stone," Tooth muttered to herself as she looked at all the pictures of the children on the cases. "Yes," she finally said, carefully extracting the long cylindrical case. "Here it is, Cara Stone." Holding the memories delicately in her hands, Tooth frowned gently. "I remember these ones," said Tooth, the sparkle in her eyes dulling with sadness.

"You do," asked Jack, as Tooth flew back to him.

"Yes," replied Tooth, uncharacteristically calm. "She was a beautiful little girl, but…" Tooth trailed off, passing the memories to Jack. "See for yourself."

Putting his staff on the ground, Jack took the case of Cara's memories and turned it over in his hands. He smiled faintly at the image of Cara on the side of the box. With careful fingers, Jack opened the casing, revealing a box lined with soft, blue lining that protected a full set of baby teeth.

Taking a breath, Jack closed his eyes, allowing himself to be washed away in Cara's childhood memories.

_A six year old Cara held onto the hand of a man with blonde hair and the same brown eyes she had. Although this man was her father, Cara found herself shy, after not seeing him for six months. While he was away in a drug rehab program, she lived with her grandparents in an old house that smelled like dust and too much perfume. Her mother, also a young drug addict, had abandoned her two years after Cara was born. Now that her father was finally sober, he had come to take her back._

_Cara's father was a young man, having been only 18 when Cara was born, who could have been very handsome had drugs not ravaged his physical appearance. Looking down at Cara he smiled reassuringly. Crouching down so that he was eye level with her he gently tugged one of her pigtails._

_"Cara, have you ever seen snow," he asked._

_Carefully, Cara shook her head, hugging her favorite princess story to her chest. "No," she said in a shy voice._

_"Well, for Christmas this year, I'm going to take you to see snow, would you like that?"_

_Cara broke into a grin, revealing a gap where her left front tooth should be. "Really? Santa brought snow this year?"_

_"Oh Cara, don't tell me you believe in those fairy tales," her dad said with a chuckle, ruffling her head before they walked to his car. _

_"You mean, Santa's not real," Cara asked as her dad buckled her into her booster seat. _

_"Hate to break it to you, Princess," her dad said, figuring it was better to shatter the illusion when she was young, "Santa is usually Grandma or Grandpa putting out a present the night before Christmas while you're asleep. That's how it usually works."_

_"Oh…" Cara frowned as her Dad patted her head before walking around the car to drive her off to his apartment she was supposed to call "home" now. Staring down at her princess storybook, she hoped her dad wouldn't see her cry. She wanted her dad to believe she was a big girl, and big girls, as she knew all too well, didn't cry. _

_A couple days later, Cara woke early with excitement. Today was the day her dad was going to take her to the mountains. _

_"Daddy, it's today, it's today!" Rushing into her dad's room she found him lying in bed._

_"Hey, daddy?" Cara gingerly crept to his bedside and peered closely at him. His breathing was shallow and irregularly slow._

_"Daddy? Wake up," Cara urged, poking her dad. _

_He didn't stir. _

_Tears filled her eyes and she began to sob, running for the phone in the living room. Before she left, her Grandma made her remember their phone number and to call if she ever needed anything. Dialing the number she remembered, Cara sobbed and sobbed until her Grandma answered._

_"Hello—Cara, is that you? Cara, what's wrong, honey?"_

_"Daddy's not waking up!"_

_"Oh, Cara, oh no, okay, honey, I need you to hang up and call 911, you understand me?"_

_"No, I'm scared! Grammy, why won't Daddy wake up? We're supposed to see the snow today!"_

_"Care, listen to me baby, hang up, call 911, and Grandpa and I will be there as soon as possible. Trust me, baby. Okay?"_

_"O-okay…"_

Jack saw several other memories beyond this one. In other memories, Cara was older and seemingly fine. She grew up in church with her grandparents, went to school, made friends, got good grades, and started to take dance lessons. However, in all of her memories, there was an essential key part of her missing: the simply act and joy of being a kid.

Shutting the case carefully, Jack held onto Cara's memories as though they were a precious item he refused to lose. "Wow," he muttered, taking a deep breath. "Wow."

Tooth watched Jack as thoughts and emotions dart across his face as he continued to hold Cara's case of memories.

"Collecting her teeth was always difficult. They were mostly found thrown away or discarded around her room. Only 3 or 4 were found under her pillow…" Tooth smiled gently, as she looked at Jack. Though her stomach filled with the slightest twinge of guilt, Tooth could recognize where Jack's heart was. "Jack…you care about her, don't you? You really like her."

"What?" Jack finally looked up at Tooth who floated above his shoulder. His cheeks warmed at her question. "I mean, well Cara is…I can't do that, can I? She's my assignment."

"I dunno," answered Tooth. "I don't know why she has been chosen to specifically believe, and it might not be good to be involved with a human, especially you assignment, but…just be careful, okay?"

"Yeah," said Jack, nodding in slight agreement. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. He had been "Jack Frost" for over 300 years, and he managed to keep his feelings toward girls in check. Sure, he found several pretty over the last three centuries, but none of them were like Cara. None of them laughed the way she laughed, and none of them seemed to love as deeply as she loved.

"Tooth, is it okay if I keep these for a while," asked Jack, indicating Cara's box of memories.

"Sure," Tooth agreed with a smile. "I need to get back to work, and if you need any more help, you can always ask me." With a wave, Tooth turned and left Jack alone.

Putting Cara's box of memories into his pocket, Jack picked up his staff, flying away from Tooth's realm and toward Cara and Ellie, wondering what the two were doing. Now that he understood Cara better he wanted to come up with a surefire plan that would make her believe.

As he flew away, a great cloud of gold floated toward him.

"Well I'll be," said Jack as the Sandman waved to him from a great cloud. Jack waved back. "Hey, Sandy, what's up?"

Sandy smiled and held up a finger, telling Jack to wait. He also knew of Jack's assignment and knew that Jack was struggling.

"Okay…" said Jack as he waited for Sandy. Sure enough a series of images floated above Sandy's head and, well, Jack frowned. He was always bad at charades.

"Okay, uhm," Jack raised a quizzical eyebrow. "A girl is sleeping, was sleeping? Cara was sleeping? Oh, okay, Cara was sleeping and she floated to the moon, what? Oh, you gave her a dream while she was asleep about floating to the moon, and me? I was there?"

It took Jack nearly ten minutes to understand what Sandy was saying. By the time he understood, Sandy lightly smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Sorry," Jack muttered sheepishly with a grin. "So you're trying to help me out too, huh? Thanks, Sandy, I really appreciate it."

Sandy grinned and nodded and held up another finger, telling Jack to wait. From his gold cloud, Sandy produced a small, shimmering gold bag of his sleeping dust and presented it to Jack.

"For me," asked Jack, taking the small sack. "Why?"

Above Sandy's head, he produced an image of Cara with a sad face and having dust sprinkled over her so that she would go to sleep. While she slept, she smiled.

"For emergencies?"

The Sandman nodded.

Jack pocketed the precious gift and smiled graciously at the old Guardian. "Thank you, Sandy, really I—"

Jack frowned. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up. Something was wrong. Cara was in trouble. "I gotta go, Sandy." Without warning, Jack flew off, asking the wind to carry him swiftly.

(-)(-)(-)

Cara stretched out underneath a blanket as she thumbed through her book. She was on the last chapter of the novel she had been reading all day when her phone rang.

"Hello—"

"Cara, Cara there's been an accident," Greg, Ellie's father said into her ear. In the background, Cara could hear Melanie sobbing.

"What happened, where are you guys?" Cara jumped out of the blankets, rushed to her room to grab a hoodie and her keys.

"It's Ellie. We're at a hospital about an hour north. While ice-skating, the ice broke and she fell through. She's alive, but she's in a coma."

"What hospital," asked Cara, tears rushing to her eyes as she started her car. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

**Author's note: well...hm. scary situations, huh?**

As always, constructive criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated. Please don't stop! They keep me going! :)  


**Much love! Happy Christmas (and other respective winter holidays)!**

**Also...random question for those NOT from the U.S. (where I'm from)-do any of the phrases I use in writing not make sense to you? I try to keep it neutral with the idioms of my cultural so it can be understood cross-culturally. So, let me know if you're having any problems! :)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 6  
_**

* * *

"Where's Ellie?!" Despite the snow, Cara managed to cut a drive that should have taken an hour into forty minutes. Now she rushed into the waiting room in the children's hospital where she was greeted by Melanie and Greg.

"Cara!" Melanie rushed to Cara and pulled her into a crushing hug. Cara could feel the woman shaking in her arms, even though she was shorter than Ellie's mother.

"What happened?"

Melanie moved from Cara's arms, her bright blue eyes were rimmed red, kind of how Ellie's eyes looked after she had cried. "My baby…we were ice-skating and everything was fine. Eleanor managed to get away from us and…we heard this sickening crack, and my baby fell in. Now she's," Melanie's voice caught and she pressed a hand to her throat.

"She's comatose right now," Greg finished quietly. "She was down there less than a minute but because she's so small…she contracted severe hypothermia. The doctors also believe she hit her head pretty hard on the ice before she fell in.

Cara bit her bottom lip, but she could not keep her tears from spilling. "C-Can I see her?"

Greg nodded as he took his wife in his arms. "Room B-218," he said, as Cara ran off in search of Ellie's room.

When she got to the girl's room, there was a nurse checking Ellie's vitals. Cara's breath caught in her chest as she saw Ellie, the usually vibrant little girl, sustained by machines. The nurse looked up, noticing Cara's paled complexion.

"Ma'am, I know this is hard, but you need to take a seat," said the nurse, leading Cara to a chair by Ellie's bedside.

"T-thank you," Cara murmured, staring at Ellie. "Will she wake up?"

The nurse regarded Cara's eyes wide with shock. "Kids usually have a better chance at recovering from hypothermia than adults," the nurse informed with a gentle smile. "So don't give up on her."

"Never," responded Cara as the nurse walked out, closing the door behind her.

The beeping of the hospital machines filled the silence as Cara's tears remained frozen within her. She was confident that Ellie's parents have her on the best systems and with the best doctors that money could buy, but suddenly she felt as though that wasn't enough. Ellie needed to wake up _now_.

"Oh, Ellie," Cara murmured, reaching over to smooth down the little girl's blonde hair. "You need to wake up, honey. Please, do it for me." Reaching for her little hand, Cara pressed it to her cheek, noticing that it was cool to the touch.

"Hey, I don't remember if I closed the garage door on my way out," Cara said with the briefest of smiles. "Hopefully your mommy and daddy won't be too upset with me as burglars take everything we own, but if we are robbed, you know what they won't take? Your Jack Frost book, I thought you might like it." In the midst of running into her room to get a jacket and her keys, Cara noticed Ellie's Jack Frost book on her bedroom floor and picked it up in her frenzied leave.

The sound of Ellie's machines answered Cara.

"How about I read it to you now, maybe you'll dream of Jack, and then wake up." Cracking open the children's book Cara began to read, but by the third page, she closed the book and threw it on the nightstand.

"Oh God, Ellie," Cara sobbed, burying her head against the little girl's body. "Oh God, oh God," she cried. "Ellie, please, wake up baby. I'll do anything to see you smile at me once again. _Anything_. I'll even believe in Jack Frost, Santa Claus, Cupid, Jack Skellington, whatever the heck there is! God, I'll believe in all of it, if Ellie wakes up!"

(-)(-)(-)

Jack got to Ellie's house just as Cara was throwing her car into reverse and driving like a madwoman to the hospital. Confused, he simply followed her car all the way to the hospital, his dread growing as he realized something was wrong with Ellie.

Jack had managed to sneak into the hospital room with Cara and he stood near the room's window, gritting his teeth against Cara's cries. He wanted more than anything to make it better, not only for Cara, but for Ellie too. He was reminded of his own fall all those years ago, yet he was saved. He wanted to do the same for the little girl.

Then Cara said the words. She would believe.

Jack's head shot up as he heard Cara cry out to God. She would believe for Ellie.

Using his staff, Jack tapped at the glass window, trying to get Cara's attention. Blowing on the window, a thin web of frost iced the inside of the window just as Cara noticed the sound. Sitting up, she turned to look, her eyebrows furrowed.

"What the…" Moving from her position beside Ellie, she walked over to the window, gingerly touching the fine frost on the window, her fingers sticking lightly when she removed them. "How weir—"

_SLAM_!

Cara jumped at the sudden sound in the quiet room. Turning, she noticed the Jack Frost book she had put on the nightstand on the floor, the pages fluttering as though someone was flipping through them. Chills ran down Cara's spine. "It can't be," she murmured, shaking her head. She looked at Ellie who continued to be sustained by life support.

Walking back over to Ellie, Cara sat in the bedside chair and took the little girl's hand. Cara stared at Ellie, allowing a pregnant pause of silence to pass. "Jack Frost is real, isn't he," Cara finally whispered. "Jack, you're real."

At that moment, Cara was no longer alone. Standing on the other side of Ellie's bed, a figure had materialized. He had a tall, wiry body and was clad in a blue hoodie and brown pants, and he carried a staff. Adding to his height was his white as snow hair that messily stood up. Finally, Cara met his eyes that were as blue as blue could be.

"Uh, Hi Cara," Jack said, gingerly smiling as his heart pounded heavily across his chest. His body tensed as he anticipated a scream.

Cursing, Cara jumped out of her seat and backed against the wall. "I'm crazy," she said, her brown eyes wide. "This is crazy. I mean, no. Jack Frost?"

"That's what they call me these days," said Jack with a nervous laugh. He held out a hand to Cara in a sign of truce, "please don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Right," said Cara, struggling to swallow. "If this were any other time, I'd be scared, but now…" Cara looked at Ellie. Tentatively she walked back to Ellie's bedside, and subsequently closer to Jack, and took Ellie's limp hand. Despite her shaking, Cara met Jack with a steady gaze. "Please," she begged, forgetting how crazy this was. "Please, can you help her?"

Jack looked down at Ellie, his dark eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I'll do what I can," he promised, but there were no guarantees. He had never healed a person, and didn't quite know if he could. Taking a breath, Jack closed his eyes before he raised his staff and gently tapped Ellie's chest with it.

For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Then it was like a white-blue light came from the end of the staff and spread through Ellie's body. When the light disappeared, the room was quiet again, and it seemed as though nothing happened.

Cara shook her head. "What did you do to her?" Before Jack could respond, Ellie's hand that was once limp in Cara's reflexively gripped Cara's as Ellie took a big gasp of a breath on her own. Her eyelids fluttered but never fully opened.

"Ellie, oh my God!" Cara ran and called the nurses and Ellie's parents to check on her.

The nurses rushed into the room and checked Ellie's vitals again. Ellie's heartbeat had quickened on the monitor and her body seemed sustain itself once again. Amidst the noise, Ellie managed to wake up. The head nurse shook her head, smiling from ear to ear. "Wow, this is what I call a Christmas present. This little girl's a fighter."

"My baby!" Melanie rushed to Ellie's side once the nurses had removed the respirator that Ellie no longer needed.

"Mommy?" Ellie looked around, confused by her surroundings. She looked and saw Cara and Jack standing by the door to her room. "Cara, Jack Frost did it," she said in a sleepy voice.

Cara shot a glance at Jack before nodding and smiling at Ellie, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I know, honey. He did it." Cara walked over to Ellie and kissed her on the cheek and decided it was best to give the family alone time.

Exiting the room, Cara lightly pulled on the sleeve of Jack's hoodie, making sure he would follow her out. The hospital was still full of people, and Cara wanted to speak to Jack privately. On their way out, Jack and Cara passed a handful of children; most of them noticed Jack right away and waved back.

"Popular aren't you," Cara said with a smile. She had released Jack's sleeve knowing that he would follow her without her tugging at him.

"Not as popular as Santa Claus," Jack responded with a grin. "This is great," Jack said with a chuckle. "You believe in me, Cara! I've been trying to get you to believe so long I almost lost hope."

"Well, thanks, I guess." Cara turned her face to hide her smile, amused by Jack's excitement. By now that had left the hospital and were walking toward her car. It had stopped snowing, and was late enough, giving Cara more confidence to address Jack.

"What did you do to Ellie," asked Cara, eyeing Jack's staff suspiciously.

"I'm not sure," said Jack, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. He shook his head, thinking about Ellie. "It was like…playing hide and seek, all she needed was a little help to be found."

"That doesn't make sense to me," Cara said bluntly as they reached her car. Reflexively and without warning she threw her arms around Jack in a tight hug. Jack, startled by Cara's action, had to brace himself from her sudden impact. For a moment, Jack didn't know what to do; the daze of Cara suddenly believing in him had not worn off.

Finally, Jack put his arms around Cara, in a way that felt _right_. He noted that the top of Cara's head rested in the space between his chest and shoulder. "Hey," he said, trying to lighten her mood, "everything turned out okay."

Cara chuckled lightly before she pulled away. Jack watched as she wiped at her eyes. Noticing that she was being watched, Cara laughed again. "Sorry," she apologized. "I don't cry this much, I swear." Tucking her long hair behind an ear she raised an eyebrow at him. "You're really cold, you know."

"Oh," Jack shrugged in a sheepish manner. "It comes with the name I guess." He had forgotten that he didn't generate body heat and was more likely to give someone the chills rather than warm them.

"This is crazy," Cara repeated. "I can't believe you're, well, _you_. Does this mean Santa—"

"Yep."

"The Easter Bunny?"

"He looks more like a kangaroo, but yes, him too."

"I'm guessing the Toothfairy?"

"Correct. And the Sandman. We call him Sandy."

"Wow."

"Yeah," said Jack, smiling at Cara's reaction. "Pretty neat huh?"

"Wow," she said again, her brown eyes wide as she tried to process all this information. "Real, you're all real…" Tentatively, Cara reached out, and touched Jack's arm. He felt like a normal person, if not slightly colder and paler. Finally, she pinched him.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Jack drew back his arm, and pulled up his sleeve, rubbing the place she had pinched.

"I don't know, I wanted to make sure you're real," said Cara, throwing her hands into the air.

"You're supposed to pinch yourself, not me," said Jack.

"I already did back in the hospital."

Pulling his sleeve down, Jack regarded Cara curiously. He had stood close to her before, close enough to touch her hair and smell her perfume, but still he was shocked that he could finally see her.

"What," asked Cara, when she realized Jack stared at her for a long time. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks because of his close scrutiny.

"It's just…I thought you'd never believe and you finally do."

"You said something like that back in the hospital," Cara said. "Just how long have you been trying to make me believe?"

"A few months, actually," said Jack with a shrug.

"Creepy," said Cara. "So you followed me around trying to get my attention? Did I have any privacy?!" Suddenly, she felt violated.

"What, of course," said Jack, embarrassed by her question. "You had privacy! I mostly talked to Ellie because she believed in me from the beginning, and she tried to help me, but you're pretty stubborn, you know."

"Ellie," Cara laughed, thinking about all the times the girl talked about Jack Frost. "Now I feel bad for not believing her."

"You should." Jack grinned at Cara's raised eyebrow. "I'm kidding. Relax, Cara! Have a little fun! Ellie's going to be alright, there's nothing to worry about!"

"Yeah, fun," Cara muttered. "Right." Having fun was the last thing on her mind right now. Smiling up at Jack, Cara knew that, whether she was crazy or not, she owed Jack for saving Ellie. "Well, I'd better get back to Ellie," Cara finally said.

Once more she opened her arms to hug Jack, who easily returned the embrace. "I can't thank you enough," Cara said against his chest, ignoring the cold that came from his body. For some reason, she was surprised to hear his heartbeat. She didn't think he was dead, or a vampire, or something absurd like that, just the distinctly _human_ sound was enough to make her trust him, and believe all the more. "Thank you for saving Ellie, she means a lot to me."

"Don't worry about it," said Jack, as Cara pulled back to look up at him. "It's my job to help."

"Your job?" Realizing that she still held on to Jack, Cara finally let him go and took a couple steps back. In order to keep to herself, Cara folded her arms across her chest; she had hugged him enough.

There was so much that Jack wanted to tell her, but with her belief, he realized he had completed his assignment. He needed to talk to the Man in the Moon. Until then, he wouldn't volunteer any more information.

"Yeah," said Jack, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just like it's your job to take care of Ellie and enjoy the snow with her."

"Right," said Cara, rolling her eyes at his evasiveness. "What will you do now?"

Jack looked up at the sky; there was fun to be had and mischief to cause. But first, he needed to talk to the Man in the Moon. "I might make a snowman," Jack answered truthfully. "But there's business I need to take care of first." With then floated into the air, startling Cara. "I'll see you around, Cara."

For a moment, Cara watched as Jack flew away with the wind. At one point he turned to wave at her and she waved back, smiling all the way to Ellie's room.

* * *

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas! (:**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 7  
_**

* * *

In the days following Christmas, the first day of the New Year to be exact, Jack spent his nights trying to get the attention of the Man in the Moon. Jack spent hours trying to talk to him, but the Man in the Moon refused to answer. The night after Christmas, Jack continued to do the same. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop in Cara's neighborhood, Jack stared up at the half moon contemplatively.

"It's me again," said Jack, staring up at the sky. Pausing from his walk, he gave the moon his full attention. "Cara believes, and has believed for a few days now, so I guess my assignment is over. There's just one small problem." Jack rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. "I don't know why you chose Cara to believe, and I don't know why you chose me to make her believe, but here's the thing…" Jack let out a sigh before finally speaking. "Cara's more than an assignment to me. She's really smart, she's kind, she's got a great laugh, and she's really pretty. I don't think I've felt this way about anyone. Maybe about Tooth, but this is different. So if you're not going to answer me, then I'm going to assume that it's okay for me to talk to her still."

Silence.

Contemplating the moon a minute longer, Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Carefully he walked across the rooftops back to Cara's house. Allowing the wind to carry him, he jumped from the room and floated momentarily in front of Ellie's window, smiling gently when he noticed she was asleep, clutching a new doll she had gotten for Christmas.

Gently floating down from her window, Jack flew over to Cara's downstairs bedroom. He paused when he noticed she sat by the window in a big armchair reading a book. Beside her was a mug of hot chocolate and a couple cookies. Jack chuckled to himself while he watched Cara remain so absorbed in whatever story she was reading that she failed to notice him at her window. Using his staff he gently tapped on the glass, cringing a bit as she jumped in her seat.

"Jack!"

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish look. "Can I come in?"

"Sure let me get the window open."

"No, you don't have to."

Cara stared at Jack as he simply passed through her window as though it were as thin as air. Cara raised an eyebrow at Jack. "I don't know if I should be impressed by that or creeped out knowing you've been able to get into the house."

"It comes with the job," Jack said with a shrug. Rubbing the back of his head he then grinned at Cara, mischief bright in his eyes. "Happy New Year, by the way."

"So I'll add that to your list of things you can do," said Cara with a laugh. Counting on her fingers, she listed everything she knew Jack could do. "Create snow and frost, fly, manipulate wind, save lives, and walk through walls. Am I missing anything?"

At this, Jack laughed feeling an odd mixture of pride and embarrassment. "I don't know about the save lives part, I didn't even know I could do that."

"Well you can," Cara firmly said. "I think that might be my favorite thing you can do." Reaching out for a cookie on the arm of her chair, Cara broke it in half and nibbled on it thoughtfully before handing the other half to Jack who greatly accepted.

"Ruth's cookies are my favorite," said Jack around a mouthful of chocolate chunks. "You know, I think they might be better than the ones North's elves make."

"North?"

"Santa Claus."

"Oh, right," Cara said, remembering that Jack had told her "Santa's" real name was North. "So to what do I owe this visit? Did you just come in to wish me a happy New Year? Happy New Year to you too, by the way," Cara responded, realizing she never wished him a good year in return.

"Just stopping by to visit," said Jack, looking at his bare feet. He wished he had a cooler excuse than that.

"Oh, well, okay," said Cara, looking down at her carpet, willing her cheeks not to turn red. She had officially known Jack for a little over a week now and had seen him every day. Most of the time, Jack joined her as she took Ellie out to play in the snow, and after Ellie went to bed, Jack and Cara would spend time together talking mostly about Jack's world that Cara never believed in.

"Hey, do you wanna see what it's like to fly?"

"What?" Cara looked up at Jack and noticed his face was bright with excitement. Looking over Jack's shoulder, Cara noticed that it was snowing.

"But it's snowing," she said lamely. "You might be able to handle it, but I can't."

"I can take care of that," said Jack waving his hand. "I'm Jack Frost, remember?" Jack quirked an eyebrow at Cara's hesitancy; he could see in her eyes that she wanted to go but she was holding herself back.

"Come on, Cara, live a little."

Cara looked at Jack and his encouraging smile. "I am living."

"Yeah you're heart's beating, but that's nothing without any fun. Come on, Cara, trust me." Jack leaned against his staff, staring intently at Cara, silently daring her to take a break from her routines. For a girl who read so much about adventures and life changing situations, she seems so reluctant to do any of it for herself.

"Alright," said Cara after a moment's pause. "Let me grab a jacket."

Jack waited as Cara pulled on a warm jacket over her hoodie and a pair of warm looking boots. "Since I can't move through walls we'll have to go through the front door," said Cara, pushing her hair that had gotten caught when putting on her jacket.

Jack quietly followed Cara as they made their way from her room to the front door. Luckily the family she nannyed for occupied the upstairs portion of the house, leaving her to her own devices. Once outside, Cara smiled at Jack. It was late, people were still coming home from their New Year's parties, but her neighborhood was quiet with sleep. True to his word, Jack waved his staff and the snow ceased to fall.

"You ready," asked Jack.

"Yep," said Cara, pulling her hood over her head. She looked at Jack and frowned momentarily before pointing at herself and at Jack. "So, um, how is this going to work?"

"I'll carry you." Slowly, and with the awkward movements characteristic of a boy around a girl he likes, Jack stepped closer to Cara and put his arm around her waist, drawing her close to his side. Cara carefully locked her arm around Jack's middle as well, feeling him take in a sudden breath under her touch. Cara was grateful she chose her warmest jacket to not only fight off the cold weather around her but to keep her warm against Jack's constantly cold skin.

"Are you ready?"

"Are you sure this is safe, you're sure you'll be able to hold on to me?"

"Of course," said Jack, grinning down at Cara. "You'll be fine."

Before Cara could protest again, Jack had called to the wind and soon they were rising from the ground, and high over the rooftops of the neighborhood.

"Jack!" Cara wrapped both arms around the Guardian and buried her head in his shoulder, refusing to look down, fearful of the strange sensation of her feet no longer on the ground. Images of losing grip and falling to the ground filled Cara's mind which only made her hug Jack tighter.

"Cara," Jack said, his breath shallow as he attempted to laugh because of her tight grip, "I won't let you fall. Look, people still have Christmas lights up."

Peeking from Jack's shoulder, Cara took a tentative glance to the ground below. Sure enough, several homes did have their Christmas lights out. While staring at the blend of bright, blinking colors Cara loosened her grip on Jack, growing accustomed to the weightless feeling of being suspended in the air.

"It's so beautiful," said Cara, contemplating snow-capped houses, buildings, and trees. Smiling at Jack, Cara winked at him, "I guess snow isn't so bad after all."

Jack grinned in response. Noticing that Cara had grown comfortable to their trip, Jack decided to try something new. "Hold on tight," he said. Feeling Cara tighten her grip Jack launched into an easy route of spirals and turns, taking Cara upside down and sideways with him.

Resuming normal flight, Jack eventually took Cara to a tall water tower just outside the city. Here there was a clear view of the moon and stars.

Once safely on something solid, Cara pulled down her hood and ran a hand through her hair, getting out the knots that had formed because of the wind. For a moment she was silent before she laughed. "Wow, that was so fun!" Laughing again, Cara kicked snow off the side of the water tower and took a seat, her feet dangling over the edge, forgetting her fear of heights, reminding her of the experience Jack shared with her.

"Wow," she said again, shaking her head. "Was that just real? Did we really just fly?"

"It's pretty neat, isn't it," said Jack has he sat beside her and leaned back, supporting his weight on his hands.

He watched as Cara nodded, looking up at the sky, her cheeks flushed with cold and her brown eyes bright with the awe and joy of a child.

"That's not a bad way to bring in the New Year," said Cara, turning to Jack. "So, did you make any resolutions?"

"More snow," Jack said instantly, earning a laugh from Cara. He made the same resolution every year, and somewhere in the world, he made sure it happened. "What about you?"

Cara bumped Jack's shoulder before drawing her knees to her chest to fight off the cold weather. "I don't usually make resolutions," said Cara, "I don't like making promises I can't keep. But I think this year, I'll try again, and I have you to thank for that. I want to have more fun. Just have fun and enjoy things. I know it sounds vague and silly, but I want to do it."

"It's not silly," said Jack. He looked intently at Cara who stared at her knees. "Everyone needs to have a little fun in their lives. And there's no one that knows fun better than I do. Today we're flying, by next week you can help me bust into North's workshop again."

"Bust in?"

"The yetis are vicious though. It's rough getting past them."

"I don't know if I would consider that "fun"…"

"Maybe we'll build up to that one a little longer."

A burst of laughter escaped from Cara, warming Jack from the inside out. "I don't know if I'm ready to go on the permanent Naughty List."

"It's not so bad," said Jack. "I've been on it for a long time."

"I bet you have," said Cara grinning at Jack's mock appalled look. Falling into a comfortable silence, Cara played with a small handful of snow, sprinkling it over the edge of the water tower. She repeated this action, imagining Jack create snow out of thin air.

"Do you spend most nights causing mischief and making snow?"

"For the most part," answered Jack, patting snow into snowball shape before breaking it and doing it again. "I travel around most nights, but lately I've spent my nights talking to the Man in the moon."

"Man in the moon?" Cara looked at the moon, squinting carefully. She vaguely remembered that myth from when she was a kid. She supposed if she looked the right way, she could see it. "Does he talk back to you? Is he a Guardian like you?"

"Not really," Jack informed her. "He doesn't talk very much. As for if he's a Guardian," Jack frowned in thought as he tried to answer her question, "yes and no. We answer to him."

"I see," said Cara. "You're quite the interesting person, Jack Frost."

"Yeah?"

"Yep. I'm sorry it took so long for me to believe in you," said Cara with a shy laugh. Brushing the snow off her hands she put them in her pocket, shivering lightly from the cold.

Noticing her shiver, Jack decided it was probably time to take Cara home even if he didn't want to. He wanted to stay out with her until the sun rose and then some time after that. Instead, he stood, brushed the snow off his pants and held out a hand for her to take. "I'll take you back," he said.

Allowing Jack to help her stand up, Cara sighed as their fun had come to an end. This time, Jack easily wrapped an arm around her waist and she pressed close to him as they took off, leaving the water tower behind.

"Sorry I don't really give off heat," said Jack.

"Don't worry," said Cara, resting her head on his shoulder. "This is perfect."

* * *

**Author's Note: Happy New Year!**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 8  
_**

* * *

"I lost my tooth! I lost my tooth!" Ellie jumped up and down in her bed, holding her small tooth in her hand.

"Alright, little monkey, no more jumping on the bed," Cara said as Ellie jumped and plopped on her butt. The little girl grinned up at her nanny, showing off the gaping hole in her bottom row of teeth. Cara smiled and helped tuck Ellie in. "Be sure to put it under your pillow," said Cara. "That way the Tooth fairy will be able to find it and leave you a coin."

"You believe in the Tooth fairy too," asked Ellie, her blue eyes wide.

"These days I believe just about anything," Cara said, touching a finger to Ellie's button nose. "I'm sure the Tooth fairy works like Santa, you have to go to sleep or she might not come."

"I know," said Ellie, snuggling under the covers. "If you're awake and you see her, will you tell me what she looks like?"

"Okay, if I see her, I'll let you know what she looks like."

"Yay! Good night, Cara, I love you."

"Love you too, Ellie. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

Cara quietly left Ellie's room, watching as the child reverently placed her tooth under her pillow. Flicking off the light, Cara closed the door and went to her own room. Glancing at the clock on her wall she decided that it was still too early for Jack to visit her. Usually he came later in the night when most people were ready to go to bed.

To pass the time, Cara decided to do some light cleaning around the house. Ellie's parents were gone on another trip and Cara had decided it was best for her to take the semester off in order to best provide for Ellie.

Cara finished cleaning the kitchen and decided to go back to her room. Her heart jumped nearly out of her chest when she saw two figures in her room. One was none other than Jack Frost and the other was a girl with green and blue feathers all over her body. She was beautiful in a completely exotic way.

"Is this her," the girl in feathers said, flying up to Cara, invading her personal bubble.

"Yep, this is Cara."

"Hello, Cara, it's so nice to meet you! I'm Toothiana, just call me Tooth, everyone else does."

"You're the Tooth fairy," questioned Cara, looking from Tooth to Jack.

"I am," said Tooth excitedly. "I'm so glad you can see me! This is wonderful! You know, not many adults believe anymore it's such a shame." Tooth frowned for a moment and shook her head.

"Did you visit Ellie already?

"That cute little girl? Yes I did! She had such a beautiful tooth," said Tooth dreamily. She then looked at Cara bashfully. "Mind if I see your teeth?"

"Um, what?"

"Can I take a peek?"

"I guess…" Cara grinned, bearing all her teeth. What bubble of personal space Cara once had was completely popped when Tooth reached her fingers into Cara's mouth to closely inspect Cara's teeth.

"I remember you had braces a few years ago," said Tooth, peering into Cara's mouth. "A few cavities, too, I see." Tooth smiled at the girl. "Either way, you take very good care of your teeth now, and they're quite lovely."

"Thanks…" Cara wiped at the sides of her mouth where drool had slipped through.

"Well," said Tooth, who never ceased smiling. "I must be off. There are more teeth to collect; I just really wanted to meet you. Jack talks a lot about you and—"

"Tooth…" Jack said in a warning voice.

"He talks about how cute you are and I figure I just had to meet you. Well, have a good night!"

Before Cara could say anything, Tooth disappeared. She looked at Jack who stood awkwardly, spinning his staff in his hand. He chuckled lightly, gauging Cara's reaction.

"Tooth is something, isn't she," he asked.

"She's very…bubbly," agreed Cara, with a nervous laugh. She looked down at the floor. "So, you talk about me a lot, huh? What do you say? Am I anywhere closer to being at the top of North's Nice List?"

"Still working on that," said Jack with a nervous laugh. "But for that argument, I might not be your best reference. I'm King of the Naughty List after all."

"That's true," said Cara, smiling at Jack. She stared at him for a couple of seconds in silence, taking in his wintry beauty. She had known him for nearly a month now. When she wasn't with him, she thought of him. Even when he joined her and Ellie in their snowy fun, Cara would catch herself daydreaming about him in the silliest ways.

Jack's stomach flipped under Cara's gaze. He resisted the urge to pull her close and feel her head against his shoulder. Earlier that night the Man in the Moon finally talked to him. There was something he needed to tell Cara.

"It's not as cold tonight," Jack said, leaning on his staff. "We can go up to your roof if you're up for it."

"Sure," Cara agreed, walking to her closet to grab a jacket. Most nights Jack took her to their water tower, but since Ellie's parents were out of town Cara refused to leave Ellie alone, even when she was asleep.

Warmly bundled up, Cara followed Jack to her backyard, allowing him to pull her close as her feet left the ground. Soon they were sitting on the roof, watching the stars twinkle overhead.

"Did you make it snow this afternoon," Cara asked, looking at the ground below.

"I wish I could take credit for it, but nope, this is the natural weather," said Jack. He looked over the rooftops and decided the neighborhood could use a little more snow. Standing up he flew high above the rooftops and waved at Cara from the sky. He couldn't help but grin when she waved back before putting her hand back in her pocket and hunching over for warmth.

With a wave of his staff, it was as though the heavens opened up and snow began to fall from the skies. Jack smiled as his job was complete. Floating back down to Cara he sat closely beside her, watching as she caught snowflakes on her tongue.

"Don't knock it until you try it," Cara said, once she realized Jack was watching her.

With a playful laugh, Jack tossed his head back and caught a few snowflakes in his mouth. He only stopped at the sound of Cara's laughter. He looked at the girl he had come to care for more than anyone else in the world.

"My nose is cold," Cara said, gingerly touching her nose that turned a bright rosy color.

"It's cute," said Jack, without thinking. He thought about wanting to take those words back when he saw the surprised look on Cara's face. In that moment, he realized he _wanted_ her to know how he felt. Inching closer to her, Jack now sat so closely that his right side was pressed against her left side. "You've got snowflakes on your eyelashes," said Jack, gently reaching with his thumb to brush the white flakes off of Cara's dark lashes. He noticed her cheeks were red, but he could no longer tell if it was from cold or from embarrassment.

Once he was done, Cara opened her eyes, noticing that Jack's face was inches from hers. He was uncharacteristically gentle with her tonight. Most night he was gentle, yes, but there was always an underlying hint of mischief and pranks in his voice and smiles. Tonight though, she saw a different Jack Frost altogether. Jack traced his thumb from the corner of her eye to her check before gently brushing away strands of her hair.

Cara shivered under his touch, but refused to turn away from his frosty blue gaze. From his close proximity, she could see the freckles that crossed his cheeks and nose.

Carefully, Jack pressed a kiss to Cara's nose, the way he imagined it hundreds of times before.

"Jack Frost nipping at your nose takes a whole new meaning," said Cara, a smile parting her lips. Jack couldn't help but laugh to her reaction to his kiss when she reached for the collar of his dark blue hoodie and pulled him close so that their lips touched, catching him by surprise.

Jack's eyes widened before they closed as he felt Cara's hand go to the back of his neck, warming him. Easily, his had went around her waist, pulling her as close as possible.

Finally, Cara pulled away, opening her eyes. She smiled sheepishly as she let Jack go.

"Wow," he said.

Cara touched her cool lips. This wasn't her first kiss, but since it was Jack, it was better than her first kiss. There was a certain _rightness_ about kissing him that made her forget her ex-boyfriend from two years ago.

"Cara, there's something I have to tell you," said Jack, knowing that he had to tell her now.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to do that," started Cara. "I—"

"No," said Jack. "That was fine, I mean it was better than fine. Or, um…" Jack rubbed the back of his neck and took a breath. "I _wanted _that to happen it's just…the Man in the Moon talked to me tonight."

"That's good, right," said Cara. "You've been trying to talk to him for a while."

"Yeah but, here's the thing…" Jack trailed off and took a deep breath. "He told me that I have to go away, Cara. I need to leave for a little bit. There are a lot of kids that don't believe any more on the east coast, and I need to help them believe."

"Oh, okay," said Cara, trying to keep a straight face and not make it look as though her heart was sinking. "When do you leave?"

"Tonight."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know. I really wish I did though. I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to go either," said Cara, realizing she sounded like a child. "But, duty calls, I guess."

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Duty calls." Jack put his arm around Cara, relieved when she put her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I don't give off any heat."

"I'm fine," said Cara, holding up her gloved hands. "I'm warm."

For the next couple of hours, Cara and Jack kissed a little more, cuddled a little more and talked a little more, avoiding the topic of Jack leaving so suddenly. Eventually, Jack realized Cara was getting sleepy and this time when he flew her down he carried her in his arms, even when he landed on the ground. Refusing to put her down, Jack carried her all the way to her room, putting her on her bed and sitting at the edge of her bed.

"You won't stop believing in me, will you," asked Jack, revealing to her his current worst fear.

"Never," Cara said firmly. "Even if I'm old and gray, you'll come back to see me?"

"Of course," said Jack, promising it on his life. He kissed Cara once again.

Finally he pulled away, noticing Cara's tears. He hated that he was doing this to her.

"I'll see you later, Jack Frost," said Cara, wiping away her tears.

"I'll be back," said Jack. "I'm sure the Man in the Moon will let me visit."

"We'll see."

Cara watched as Jack left her room. She watched from the window as he flew to the sky, waving at her one last time. She waved back and watched him fly away until she could no longer see him. There was only the snow he left behind, the twinkling stars, and bright yellow moon lighting up the night.

"You better have plans for this, Man in the Moon," said Cara, looking up at the moon. "This can't be the end."

Little did she know that the Man in the Moon had big plans indeed.

* * *

**Author's Note: So I go back to school the end of the week...and after that, updating will get difficult...until then...thanks for reading! I love your reviews! :)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 9  
_**

* * *

Two months came and went without a word from Jack. In this time, Cara went about her duties caring for Ellie and taking care of the house. She went to her friend's wedding, and it was a beautiful affair. While her friend tied to set her up with her new husband's groomsman, all Cara could think about was Jack. He consumed her very mind during most of her waking hours. It was only her dreams in which she sometimes got to see him and talk to him that made her hopeful that she would see him again.

"How's everything tasting," asked Ruth as she came to check on Cara and Ellie at their booth at Ruth's Diner. Ellie's parents were going to return for a couple of weeks that night and Cara had decided to take Ellie to dinner to pass the time. Cara had been staring out the window at the melting snow, wondering if Jack was enjoying himself as he made snow for millions of people wherever he was.

"Yep," answered Ellie, which prompted Cara to look up at Ruth.

"Well I'm glad," said Ruth, smiling at little Ellie who bit around the crust of her grilled cheese sandwich.

"Yeah, everything's great," said Cara, half-heartedly nibbling on a French fry.

"Are you feeling alright, honey," Ruth asked Cara. "You hardly touched your food. Are you girls still seeing your friend Jack?"

"No, he's gone," said Ellie.

"Gone where?"

"On a mission," Cara answered, looking up for her barely eaten food. "Before he left he told me that he had to go across the country to bring more snow there. He doesn't know when he'll be back."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Ruth, genuine sadness showing in her sparkling green eyes. "I like that young man. He liked my cookies."

"He'll be back," Cara said firmly. The words felt strange coming from her mouth. It became a mantra she had chanted in her head whenever the pains of missing him became unbearable, but now, it felt as though she said the words more out of habit than belief. Some days she even began to waver in her belief in him. She wondered if the moments spent with him were real or just products of a really good dream.

"Yeah," said Ellie, finishing her sandwich. "He'll be back to play in the snow with us. Also, because Jack loves Cara. Cara told me that when people love each other they always come back. That's why I know mommy and daddy come home even though they're gone a lot."

"Well you've got one smart nanny," said Ruth, touching the little girl's hair. "You're a lucky one."

"Yeah, I like Cara."

Cara smiled, feeling her glum mood fall away at Ellie's sheer cuteness. Checking the time on her phone, Cara decided it was time to go. "Can I have the check, please, Ruth? I need to get Ellie home so we can meet her parents."

"Dinner is on me," said Ruth, waving a hand in the air.

"Oh, Ruth," said Cara, her eyebrows furrowing. "You're going to go broke because of me. I'm always here and you keep on giving me meals on the house."

"Don't worry about me," said Ruth with a smile. "God knows I have more than enough profit to give my favorite customer food on the house."

"I really appreciate it, Ruth," said Cara, getting out from the booth and hugging the 30-something year old woman. Ruth was someone that never ceased to fascinate Cara. Being no older than 33, Ruth had the personality and kindness of someone's grandma which always brought Cara a sense of comfort and protection.

Cara helped zip Ellie into her jacket, and Ellie gave Ruth a hug too.

"Bye-bye, Ruth," said Ellie, reaching for Cara's hand.

"Bye, girls," said Ruth, clearing their plates. "See you soon!"

(-)(-)(-)

"With the snow beginning to melt, Greg and I thought it be good for us to go on a weekend trip to the mountains," said Melanie later that night with Ellie and Cara. "There's still plenty of snow up there, and it might be fun if we got out of the suburbs for a bit and just relaxed. It'll be a vacation!"

"Yay! Vacation!" Ellie jumped up and down on her bed as Melanie picked out pajamas for her daughter to wear.

"What do you think, Cara? We want you to go with us?"

"Oh, that'd be fun," said Cara. "My schedule is always free."

"Good," said Melanie as she helped Ellie wiggle into her nightgown.

"Maybe Jack Frost will be in the mountains," said Ellie, grabbing her teddy bear before that had fallen to the ground while she jumped on the bed.

"Maybe," answered Melanie whilst Cara remained silent.

"Can Mommy read you a bedtime story tonight," asked Melanie as she held up Ellie's favorite Jack Frost storybook.

"Okay," said Ellie.

Cara smiled as she hugged and kissed the little girl goodnight.

Once alone in her room, Cara got ready for bed even though she knew she'd be up for a couple more hours to red. Warm and cozy in her pajamas, Cara took a seat in her armchair by the window with a thick book on her lap. Before Cara dove into the story within the pages, she looked out the window, looking for the moon. Although she could see the moon shining on the ground, it was obscured by large clouds that looked heavy with snow. Just a couple months ago, Cara knew she could expect a visit from Jack always with a ready and devious smile on his face.

"Oh man," Cara muttered to herself, running a hand through her long dark hair. "I can't believe I'm one of _those_ girls," she mocked herself, hating how much she missed him. Cara did commend herself for being able to function while Jack was away. She was glad that she was able to still take care of Ellie and do her job, but at the same time, she couldn't forget the dull ache in her heart that reminded her that her best friend Jack was gone.

(-)(-)(-)

_4 days later (after Cara's P.O.V.)_

Jack had the time of his life making it snow in other countries…for the most part. He loved being able to make children laugh and believe in him. He loved knowing that joy and fun would be had when he was around.

Even while he was doing his job as a guardian, there was still a place in his mind that made him think of Cara. While playing with neighborhood kids, he would hear a laugh that made him stop in his tracks and look around, wondering if Cara had managed to find him. During the hours of the night when all the kids were asleep and Jack had hours to himself, he thought of visits to the water tower and Cara's lips pressed against his. He thought of how nice it felt to have her in his arms and how much he wanted to feel her again.

During these nights he often talked to the Man in the Moon, and once again, the Man in the Moon was silent. His silence had long ago begun to annoy Jack. All Jack wanted was straightforward answers; he wanted anything but silence.

This night was different. While balancing across electrical lines, creating frost with his staff, Jack hear a voice in his head.

_Go to her_.

Pulling down his hood, Jack looked up at the sky. The moon was a thin crescent amongst the stars. "I'm going crazy," he said, his blue eyes squinting up at the large sky. More than anything Jack wanted to go back to Cara, and he often thought about it, but this voice was different. This voice wasn't his.

"If that's you," Jack said to the Man in the Moon, floating up toward the crescent to get closer, "say it again. Please, tell me I'm not crazy."

There were a couple minutes of silence, and then…

_Find her, she'll need you soon_.

"Well that's cryptic," Jack muttered to himself, but he knew that was his answer. He knew that when his boss spoke, he had to listen. Although his heart soared with the idea of seeing Cara again, something as heavy as dread dropped in his stomach, making him worry as he flew back to Cara.

In a few hours, Jack was at Ellie's house on the bottom floor where Cara's room was. Before going into her room, Jack decided to peek through her window. He knew that by now Cara would be sleeping. It didn't matter to him. All he wanted was to see her. However, when Jack looked through her window, Cara's bed was neatly made, but empty. Frowning slightly, he flew up to Ellie's window, wondering if Cara was with the little girl. Yet, just like Cara's room, Ellie's bed was also made and vacant. Again the feeling of dread filled Jack.

Where could they be?

Why did he need to find her?

(-)(-)(-)

"Did you guys have fun," asked Greg, looking back at his daughter from the driver's seat. Ellie had her arms crossed while she pouted in her booster seat. He only looked at her momentarily before turning his eyes back on the road. It had begun to snow again and he wanted to get through the mountain's pass before it got any worse.

"Yeah," Ellie muttered unhappily. Somewhere in her nearly six-year-old brain, Ellie knew her parents weren't trying to be mean, but still, she didn't understand why one toy was such a big deal.

"Oh, honey, it's okay that you didn't get the penguin pillowpet," said Melanie, seeing her daughter's sad expression. "Maybe you'll get it next time."

On their way down from the mountain, Cara and Ellie's family had stopped for lunch at a halfway point in a very small town. There were a couple of shops in the town and after dinner, they decided to visit the shops before heading back home. While walking, Ellie passed a toy store and on display in the front window was a penguin pillowpet that she had fallen in love with. However, do to the influx of toys on Christmas; Ellie's parents decided that she didn't need to have the toy right away. Ellie, being the child that she was, didn't quite see it that way.

While exploring another store, Cara had gone back and purchased a pillowpet, hiding it easily in her large purse.

"Ellie, when you and your mom and your dad were at the other store, guess who I saw?"

"Who?"

"One of Santa's elves, he had a little note for me that said Santa's been watching you this year and you've already been so good that he got you another present."

"Really? What is it?"

Cara reached into her large purse and produced the penguin pillowpet. Ellie squealed with delight, hugging the new toy close to her. "Thank you Cara," she said happily.

"Oh Cara, you'll spoil her," Melanie whispered, even though she smiled.

"She's a great kid," Cara said from behind Melanie's seat. "I just want to remind her of how great she is."

"I think," said Ellie squinting at her pillowpet. "I think I'll name is Frank."

"Frank is a good name," answered Cara, smoothing down Ellie's blonde hair as the girl kissed her pillowpet.

That's when it happened.

Many years later, no one was able to explain what quite happened when the family's car spun out of control and hit the guardrail that created a small barrier against the mountainside's edge. Greg's SUV managed to break through the guardrail, and the back end of the car teetered precariously over the edge.

Melanie, Cara, Ellie screamed until the vehicle stopped moving.

Greg cursed loudly as Ellie began to cry.

"Okay," he said, regaining his composure, "stay calm. J-just stay calm, we'll get through this."

"We need to get Ellie out," Cara said immediately. Ellie's booster seat now suddenly seemed like a death trap.

"Okay, let's see if Melanie can get out first. Okay, Mel, grab your phone and try to get out. When you're out, call for help."

"O-Okay…" Melanie gingerly opened her car door and slowly got out. The car teetered dangerously, but stayed where it was.

"Call for help!"

Cara unbuckled her seatbelt and unbuckled Ellie as well. She knew that Greg had no idea what he was doing, and quite frankly, she had no idea what she was doing either. All that mattered to her was Ellie's safety.

"Greg, I'm going to pass Ellie to you, okay? I think the front of the car needs to be weighted to remain in balance. All of our luggage is back here which should be fine, but the front is too light now."

"Alright." Greg unbuckled his seatbelt and waited for Cara to pass Ellie to him.

"It's okay, Ellie, it's okay," Cara said soothingly as she pulled the girl from her booster seat. "Shh," Cara soothed. "Ellie, you're doing so good, oh, don't forget Frank!" Cara handed the girl her penguin pillowpet. Ellie clung to it tightly as Cara passed the girl to her father.

"What about you," asked Ellie though she continued to cry.

"I'll be fine," said Cara, smiling brightly, "you just get out safely, okay?"

With Ellie in his arms, Greg carefully got out of the car, and once safely on solid ground, he let Ellie go to run to her mom.

"Cara, do you think you can climb to the front seat," asked Greg, as he went back to the car. The SUV once again teetered further over the edge.

"I'll try," said Cara. She thanked God that she was short which made crawling in crowded spaces a bit easier.

"Reach for my hand," said Greg.

When Cara got up to move to the front, the SUV teetered for the last time.

Greg would always have a scar on his right arm when from the moment the SUV went over the edge and he cut himself on the jagged, broken guardrail that he held onto before the vehicle went with Cara.

Falling was a weird sensation. Cara imagined what it would be like to fall if Jack lost grip on her. It wasn't as scary as she thought it would be, but it wasn't a situation she would wish on anyone.

It was all Cara could do but close her eyes before she and the SUV made impact with whatever was below.

Then there was nothing.

An hour later with paramedics arrived, Jack arrived as well.

* * *

**Author's Note: This is not the end. **


	10. Chapter 10

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 10  
_**

* * *

Jack arrived just in time to see the red flickering lights of an ambulance at the side of the road. A heavy feeling in his stomach that settled when he was told he could see Cara again started to weigh him down even more. Assessing the area, he saw Ellie's mom with a blanket around her shoulders, talking to a police officer while she cried. Jack flew over to her in hopes of making sense of the situation.

"…then it went over with her in it."

"Ellie," Jack wondered, knowing the adults couldn't hear him.

Jack went the ambulance, wondering if Cara was in there. He wondered if he could help.

Peeking through the ambulance's windows, Jack saw Ellie's dad getting his arm bandaged and Ellie crying and inconsolable.

"Ellie," Jack called, using his staff to bang on the window.

Ellie looked up to see him, just as a paramedic opened the door to exit the ambulance. Jack flew in and sat by the girl who clutched a stuffed penguin close to her.

"Ellie, what happened? W-Where's Cara?!"

"T-t-there was an accident," Ellie sobbed, "a-and Cara, and Cara, she…" Ellie couldn't talk anymore and continued to sob. Jack began to fear that her cries would be enough to break her in half.

Once his arm was bandaged, Greg went to his daughter and rocked her in his arms. These were the first words he heard her speak since the car went over. "Don't worry honey, don't worry," he soothed. "They'll find Cara."

Jack looked on as father comforted his daughter. Even though Greg did all in his power, Ellie couldn't be quieted. Reaching into his pocket, Jack remembered what Sandy had given him. Extracting a small golden pouch, Jack pulled out a pinch of sand and sprinkled it on Ellie.

Ellie looked up at him with questioning eyes, and Jack only gave her a smile.

"It's okay, Ellie, just go to sleep now and everything will be fine."

Jack waited as Ellie's sobs died down into silent tears before she fell asleep. The worry etched into Greg's face seemed to easy slightly as he held Ellie against his chest. Carefully putting Ellie on the gurney, he stepped out into the cold to help his wife.

Jack left with him, stealing one last look at Ellie before following silently.

The paramedics, police, and Ellie's mom stood by the edge of the cliff pointing down. Flying over, Jack looked to where they pointed. Over the cliff was a ravine that eventually ended in a deadly drop with powerful rushing water.

Without second thought, Jack flew down in search of Cara. Maybe it was the wind in his eyes, but tears rushed to Jack's blue eyes and he furiously wiped at them. Coming to a sudden stop at the end of the drop, he hovered above the white rapid waters, searching furiously. Jack didn't have to look far to find a black SUV turned upside down, secured against a large old tree that stood against the waters. However, because of the lack of moon in the sky, the dark vehicle would be difficult to find from above without a searchlight.

"Cara!"

Jack flew over to the car and looked into the windows to see Cara with her eyes closed, in the backseat. Unable to open the doors due to the water, Jack used his staff to break a window, and gingerly crawling in, he was able to extract Cara from the vehicle with only a couple of scrapes from the broken glass.

Cradling Cara against his chest, Jack flew to the tree and rested on a sturdy tall branch where the waters could not get them.

"Cara," he said softly, his voice breaking, as he gently turned Cara's head to face him, setting his staff down against the branches. He brushed her hair out of her face, and ran a hand down her wet cheek. She lacked the warmth he normally felt radiating from her; it was his only indication that she was freezing.

"Cara, open your eyes," he said again, lightly shaking her. There was still no response. Jack began to lose hope. Shaking her once more, and getting nothing in response again, all he could do was hug her close to him before saying goodbye.

(-)(-)(-)

_"Cara! Open your eyes!"_

"See, he calls you."

"He came back." Cara smiled faintly, once she knew that it was Jack's voice calling to her. She had been having a lovely conversation with a man she was allowed to call "Mim".

Cara turned to Mim who was both shadow and light, dancing all around her. Although she could not see his form, she knew that Mim was good and could be trusted.

"What do you remember, Cara," asked Mim.

"Darkness," Cara said after a moment. "The car was falling, and then there was darkness. Then I woke up to a strange light across my eyes, and the next thing I know I'm talking to you. Why?"

"Do you know who I am, child?"

"You're Mim, you're," it dawned on Cara. She blamed the car accident as to why she didn't realize this sooner. "M-I-M, Man in the moon. You're the one Jack talks to all the time. You're the one who told him he had to go to the East Coast."

"I did," said Mim. "Do you know why?"

"So the kids there don't stop believing."

"Yes, but for another reason," said Mim.

"What reason?"

_"Cara, I'm sorry. I wish I found you sooner_."

"Your journey has only begun, Cara, but for now, Jack Frost calls to you. Answer him."

"I don't know," said Cara. She wanted to see Jack more than anything, but she had a terrible headache and her left side hurt really badly. "I want to sleep. Jack will be there when I wake up, right? It'll be okay if I sleep for a little while—"

"No!"

Cara looked at Mim with confusion. "Why not? Everything hurts, and I want to sleep."

"When you wake up, you'll feel fine," Mim assured her. He knew that if Cara went to sleep, she wouldn't wake up.

"You promise," asked Cara. "I really am tired. I don't want to hurt anymore."

"I promise," answered Mim, a smile in his voice.

_"Cara…"_

"How do I find him," asked Cara. She was surrounded by light. There was no up, down, left, or right.

"Just follow his voice," said Mim. "You will wake. Also, there is something else you must remember."

"What is it," asked Cara, beginning to walk in the direction of where she thought Jack's voice was coming from.

"Don't forget Ellie and all you've done for her."

"I never will."

"Good. I'll see you again."

_"Ellie's fine, everyone's fine. Just, you…Cara I'm sorry."_

Cara continued to follow Jack's voice. There was a sudden burst of light and Cara lost track of all senses as the bright light engulfed her completely.

Then she woke up.

Slowly her eyes fluttered open. Around her, Cara could hear the sound of rushing water, and suddenly she felt cold. A moment ago her entire body ached, and now the only thing she felt was stiff from the cold.

The first thing she saw was Jack. His blue eyes were wide and rimmed with red, and his entire face looked on with surprise as she stared up blinking at him from his arms. Jack noticed that Cara's complexion was waxier and paler than usual. He hated to think it, but she was the color of death. He hoped it was only from the cold. Jack's surprise then gave way to a smile.

"I heard you calling," Cara answered, her voice softer than she anticipated. Finally, it all came rushing back, and she sat up quickly and looked around. "Oh God," she said.

Jack steadied his arms around her and nearly fell from the tree in the process. "It's okay, Cara," he soothed, "Ellie's fine, everyone's fine. Just…It was only you that went over."

"Oh God," Cara said again, as the cold began to sink in causing her to shiver. She moved closer to Jack, even though she knew he would only make her colder.

Jack felt her burying herself into him, and he continued to hold her, unsure of any other action to take.

Until he heard her cry.

Cara's cries were similar to Ellie's: gut-wrenching sobs that came from one's soul. The true sound of pain.

Just like with Ellie, Jack knew this was why Sandy had given him the sleeping dust. Jack wanted to know how Sandy knew this was going to happen, but instead of dwelling on that, Jack focused on sprinkling the dust on Cara's tear-stained face, and watching as she eventually went to sleep, her chest rising and falling in deep, even breaths.

Carefully shifting her in his arms, Jack took up his staff and took the sky. There was only one place he could think of taking her now.

* * *

**Author's Note: Be ready. :)  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 11  
_**

* * *

Cara slowly woke, her body weary and mind foggy with the ends of confusing dreams. Slowly opening her brown eyes, Cara found that she was lying in a warm and comfortable bed made out of heavy blankets and pillows. Sitting up, and allowing the thick quilt to fall to her waist, Cara took in her surroundings. She was in a large room filled with toys, and her make-shift bed was by a large window that revealed snowy weather. A few feet away from her she saw a giant moving blur. Gently rubbing at her eyes, as though rubbing away the sleep and bleary vision, Cara looked up again, finally able to make out the shape.

A giant…furry _thing_ was in the room with her. With all the breath in her body, Cara let out a scream, startling all the inhabitants in North's home and the giant fluffy creature in question.

The creature let out a yowl, dropping the tray of cookies it had brought her. Cara jumped to her feet and looked for a weapon, something, _anything_, to fight the creature if need be.

The creature held up his hands to Cara and made a series of grunting sounds and shook his head. He was trying to tell her it was okay, that he wasn't there to hurt her. He took a step toward her, hoping to calm her down.

"Stay away from me," Cara yelled, backing up against wall.

"Cara!" the door burst open, and in spilled Jack, followed by Tooth and an array of interesting characters.

"Jack!"

"Phil, what have you done!?" Jack glared at the giant beast as he went over to Cara, dropping his staff as he embraced the frightened girl.

The giant yeti let out an angry growl and stared Jack down.

"Phil," Cara asked, peeking above Jack's frosty shoulder. "You know that thing?"

"Phil doesn't like to be called a "thing"," Jack warned Cara. "He's a yeti."

"A yeti."

"Yes."

"Jack…" Cara pulled herself out of the Guardian's arms and shook her head, running a hand through her long brown hair, feeling the onset of a headache. She then looked at Tooth, and…a giant bunny, a short golden man, and a large man with a white beard and tattoos who eyed her with wonder.

"Jack," Cara repeated, her eyes never leaving the people behind him. "Who _are they_?"

Jack turned and grinned sheepishly at the characters waiting to be introduced. "Well, you know Tooth," Jack stared, nodding at the Tooth fairy who was silent for once. Tooth smiled tentatively at Cara, understanding Cara's confusion.

"That," said Jack, waving a hand to the giant rabbit, "is Bunnymund, and next to him is Sandy, and that big guy is North. We're at his place."

"The North Pole," Cara supplied, her eyes wide. She looked at all the characters staring at her. "Tooth fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Sandman," Cara murmured under her breath. Finally she looked at Jack, his ice-blue eyes wide, watching her every move. "All the stories," she said. "They're true. Every last one of them."

"They are," answered North, his voice thick with his accent and care. "Jack told us about the accident."

"The accident…" Suddenly, a rush of memories flooded Cara's mind. A car accident, Ellie screaming, and the car falling into a ravine. Then a voice telling her to go back to Jack…Cara shook her head. She thought they were all just dreams—terrible, terrible dreams.

Jack noticed Cara go weak at the knees and he put an arm behind her back to steady her.

"Ellie," Cara said. "Is she alright? Her mom and dad and—Oh God, no."

"Everyone is fine," Jack assured her. "Ellie and her parents are all alive. Shaken, but alive. But Cara…" Jack trailed off, and looked down, suddenly unable to meet Cara's eyes.

"What is it," she asked. "I need to go back so they don't worry—"

"You can't go back, Cara."

Something heavy descended into Cara's stomach. It was dread. "W-Why can't I go back," she stammered.

Jack stared at Cara for a long moment before he looked to North and the other Guardians for help. It was North who finally spoke. "Cara," he said in his thick German accent. "There is someone you must meet." North held out a hand to Cara, beckoning her to follow him.

Tentatively, Cara left the safety of Jack's arms and followed the giant Guardian, aware of Jack picking up his staff and quickly following her, and he was followed by the others.

Silently North lead the group through a large set of wooden double doors that opened into a spacious circular room. Cara curiously looked around the room, and saw no one there. "Who am I supposed to meet," she asked.

"Look," said North, pointing to the ground in the center of the room.

On the floor of the room there was a long moving shadow. Cara walked closer to see that it took the shape of a man's profile. Upon seeing Cara, the profile seemed to smile at her. Instantly, she recognized the presence from her dream. "Mim!"

"You met him," asked Jack, his eyes wide with wonder. Jack began to walk forward, but stopped, feeling a tug at his staff. Looking down he saw Sandy gripping the bottom half of his staff, shaking his head as if saying "no".

"What do you mean, Sandy?"

Again, the little golden man only shook his head. He tapped North on the leg, indicating that North had to leave as well. Cara was to talk with Mim alone.

Cara was vaguely aware of the Guardians leaving her. She turned just to see Jack lingering by the door.

"I'll wait out here for you," he promised before North gently closed the doors after her. Cara was now alone with Mim.

"North said you wanted to speak with me," said Cara to the shadow. She watched as the shadow nodded in response. Finally the shadow undid its shape as a man and began to expand, slowly seeping under Cara's feet before engulfing her completely. In another other circumstance, Cara would have yelled out, but she knew she could trust this shadow.

Soon, Cara found herself in a weird existence between light and darkness. She had no idea where she was, and she had a feeling that it was incredibly dark, but she could see, if there was anything to see.

"We meet again, Cara," a voice said, filling her mind.

"Mim," she repeated, knowing that _this_ was the voice she heard telling her to wake up. "What's going on?"

"I told you we'd meet again," he said.

"I remember," she said, falling silent momentarily. Her head swam with questions that she didn't know how to even begin to ask them. "Why did you want to meet me," she finally asked.

There was a long, pregnant pause before Mim spoke again. "Cara, you cannot go back to your world, not in the way that you knew it."

"W-what, why not," she asked, her heart slamming against her chest. "Of course I can go back, right?"

"No," answered Mim. "If you go back, you will be considered dead. Right now, you are in the space between life and death."

"Like purgatory?"

"No. You are like Jack, and North, and the rest of the Guardians. They are no longer slaves to time, but they are part of time itself."

Cara struggled to make sense of Mim's words. She knew that Jack had been alive for many years, and she figured the same for the other Guardians. "So," she slowly said, trying to understand what Mim was trying to tell her. "I'm a Guardian now?"

"If you choose to be. You have been set aside, long before you were born, to be chosen for such a task."

This time it was Cara's turn to be silent. She was silent for so long that Mim was tempted to ask if she had heard him. Finally Cara spoke. "I can become a Guardian," she said gently. She knew now, according to Mim that in her world she would be dead. She figured that if she chose not to be a Guardian she would pass into the next life instead but she would never see Ellie or Jack again. In her mind's eye, she saw both Jack and Ellie smiling and laughing.

"Do you have an answer," the Man in the Moon asked.

"Yes," said Cara. "What do I have to do?"

Without another word, Cara sensed the feeling of being engulfed once more, and she was whisked away by the man in the Moon.

Meanwhile, Jack did as he promised. As soon as North closed the doors behind him, Jack took residence against the hall across from the door. Putting his staff beside him, Jack crossed his arms, intending to wait for however long it took for Cara to come out.

That's when he saw it. Through the gap between the floor and the door, Jack saw a brilliant flash in the room before it slowly faded away.

"Cara," he called, wrenching the door open. Looking to where he last saw the girl with long brown hair, his heart skipped a beat.

She was gone.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sometimes, I want to drop out of school and become a full-fledged writer.  
**

**Anyway. Thanks for sticking with me for so long!**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Love Can Change the Weather_**

**_Chapter 12  
_**

* * *

"Look, Cara."

Cara realized that when the darkness flooded her for a second time, she had closed her eyes as a natural instinct. Slowly opening her eyes, Cara blinked slowly in response to the light. Upon seeing her surroundings, Cara sucked in her breath with surprise. All around her the sun shone brightly, warming her skin in such a familiar way that reminded her of her childhood in southern California.

Yet, the one thing that caught her attention the most was the cliff she stood on that overlooked a vast ocean. Looking to her right, Cara could see several miles away was a beautiful cottage with a waist high stone gate surrounding it and a single wooden door that allowed entrance to the cottage.

"Where am I," Cara asked in a soft voice, standing in awe of the magnificence around her.

"This is where I leave you," Mim said to her, his voice feeling like the gentle breeze that blew through her hair.

"What, but, I don't know what I'm doing," she said, suddenly frantic. "You can't leave!"

"You won't be alone," Mim assured her. "This is your journey, not mine. I am only following the orders of the One who sent me. He is also the same One who sends all the Guardians. We are merely His army."

Then, Cara knew, the Man in the Moon had left her.

Squaring her shoulders, Cara looked out to the expanse of water once more and took a breath. Even though she knew Mim had left her, something in her heart told her she wasn't alone. She didn't know how to quite put the feeling to tangible words or thoughts, but she knew that Whoever sent Mim was with her. Doing what seemed to be the most logical thing, Cara began to walk toward the cottage, following a narrow path lined with sweet-smelling grass, dotted with the occasional dandelion.

* * *

The sun had begun to sink behind the ocean by the time Cara reached the cottage. Standing before the stone gate, Cara ran her hand over the top of the wood part of the gate. She tried to look into the windows of the cottage from where she stood. She saw light spilling onto a wooden dining room table from an opposite window, but other than that, the cottage looked unoccupied.

Undoing the latch of the gate, Cara gently closed the wooden frame behind her and walked to the front door. She paused momentarily, wondering if she should knock, but decided against it because of an inkling that told her it would be okay if she walked in unannounced.

The door slowly opened without a creek and Cara stepped into the seaside cottage on the cliff. The cottage, despite the small looking exterior, was spacious on the inside and equally beautiful in comparison to the outside. This place had a rustic feel with wooden floors, high cielings, and sheer white curtains over the windows that fluttered gently in the breeze. All around, in perfectly placed spots were mason jars filled with fresh and colorful wildflowers. In the corner of the living room, Cara noticed, was a staircase that led up to a loft.

In spite of the homey feel the cottage gave off, it seemed oddly vacant. How could such a beautiful space be free of inhabitants, Cara wondered, as she walked around the living room of the cottage. Beneath the stairs, against a wall made of bricks was a large bookshelf that stretched over the expanse of the wall, and reached floor to ceiling. Sadly, there was only one book on the shelf and a small vial topped with a cork that held what looked to be frosty blue glitter. The vial itself was made of a translucent blue shade that was still easy to see through.

Cara reached for the thick, blue hardcover book with no title and the vial. Flipping through the pages, Cara raised an eyebrow upon finding the book blank. "Weird," she muttered, shutting the book and then inspected the vial more closely. She was about to put the book on the shelf when she realized the shelf had moved, revealing an opening.

Stepping through the opening, Cara was brought to an outdoor area where there was no sea. Instead, wherever she was, was an open expanse of sky and grass and it was nighttime. Cara then remembered the vial in her hand. Gripping it carefully, Cara unstopped the cork. The frosty blue glitter started to swirl within the cork before floating out from the top; a million little lights. Cara stared in wonder as the majority of the glitter-sized lights continued to float upward and upward and into the night sky. After that, they seemed to stay in the sky, becoming permanent stars. Cara looked down at the vial in her hands once more and noticed several specks remained on the bottom of the vial. Carefully Cara paced the stopper on the vial, knowing that it was the right thing to do.

* * *

In that moment, unbeknownst to Cara, a boy with frosty white hair and striking blue eyes felt something stir in his heart as he pressed his staff to a lake, watching it frost over: he felt hope.

Once the lake was frosted and iced over, Jack knew he had to go back to the North Pole.

* * *

Cara looked up to the night sky once more and smiled at the new twinkling stars before heading back to the path that would lead her back to the cottage. The book that had been tucked under her arm the entire time caught her eye with a dull glow. Raising an eyebrow, Cara flipped the book open to the first page. What was once empty now had a single name written on the first page: Jackson Overlander.

"I know that name," said Cara, even though she couldn't quite place it. The name tickled a memory and she thought about it as she walked back to the cottage and put the book and vial back on the shelf, watching as the bookshelf closed over the opening. It was now night time in the cottage and moonlight slanted through the windows.

From the loft upstairs a bright light seemed to call out to Cara. With a thundering heart Cara ascended the stairs up to the loft. The loft was the same spacious size of the downstairs portion of the cottage. Cara noticed it had a balcony that led to a stunning view of the sea. Against a wall in the room was a large canopied bed with white, inviting bedding, but that was not what caught Cara's attention. What captivated Cara was what was in the middle of the room.

In the middle of the room was a wand, and upon further inspection Cara noticed as she walked to it, it was silver with intricate vine-designs etched into it, and the glow seemed to come from the _inside_ of the wand itself as though it was made of light.

Cara reached for the wand, but stopped short and drew her hand to her chest. Something told Cara that the minute she touched this wand, there was no going back. Cara closed her eyes for a moment. Her mind was blank as she listened to the waves crashing onto the sand and to the sound of her heart gently beating.

What was life without taking chances?

There was no going back.

Cara took the wand.

Upon contact the light within the wand burned with such intensity that if anyone was outside the cottage, it would have looked as though a light burst through the loft's window and into the quiet night.

* * *

"Jack I do not understand," North said, following the boy with the staff who walked fast through North's workshop.

"I can't explain it," said Jack. "She's coming back here, I just _know_ it. I told her I'd be waiting and—"

"Jack you cannot be serious."

"I am, North! Trust me she's—"

"It's been 5 years, Jack! We do not know where Cara is!"

Jack slowed his pace. He switched his staff from his right hand to his left before he looked up at North. "I don't know, North, how else to tell you, but she'll be back. I'll be waiting."

Jack's determination stopped North in his tracks. He watched as Jack picked up his quick pace again, heading to the room where he last saw Cara.

"Oh Jack, do not be disappointed," North murmured.

* * *

A thousand memories flooded through Cara's mind.

Her childhood.

Her father dying.

Being sent to her grandma's.

Graduating high school and kissing the hometown she knew so well goodbye.

Ellie.

_"Oh I love the pillowpet," Ellie squealed in the backseat, hugging the present Cara just had to buy her. "Thank you Cara, you're the best nanny ever! I love you!"_

_"Love you too, Ellie," Cara said with a laugh, ruffling the girl's hair._

_"Of course I believe in Santa Claus," Ruth, the restaurant owner said, with a twinkle in her bright green eyes. "And I hope one day you'll stop growing up so you can believe again, Miss Cara."_

Her lips meeting Jack's lips.

Every moment, both painful and pleasant, was all part of her growth that led to this moment.

Cara looked down at the wand in her hand that stopped glowing and now looked more like an elaborate toy than a magic wand, though Cara knew better. Cara knew that the wand in her hand had the power—_she _had the power to help create sweet memories for children _and_ adults.

From the moment she took the wand, Cara knew she wasn't a Guardian like Jack or Tooth, but she was something different. Her goal was the same as theirs, to bring happiness. However, her job was not limited to children, her job was to bring happiness and hope and faith to those who stopped believing; to help the broken hearts heal. She followed the One Mim took orders from.

"Cara."

Cara turned to see Jack standing at the doorway. He had pushed open the door and stared at her in wonder.

"Jack," she said with a smile.

"Cara, your dress…your eyes!"

Cara looked down at herself and noticed she wasn't wearing the jeans she had been wearing when she was in the cottage. Instead, she was in a soft, flowing dress that was a mixture of purple, blue, and green.

"My eyes? What's wrong with them," asked Cara, suddenly worried.

Jack dropped his staff and walked over to Cara, taking her by the hand. He led her to a window where she could see her reflection. Cara leaned in. Expecting to see her regular brown eyes she was surprised to see her eyes had become a soft pink color, another show of her change.

In the reflection, Cara watched as Jack gently took her chin so she faced him. His arm went around her waist and he drew her close before he kissed her, tasting of mint and snow.

Cara pulled away after a few moments. "What was that for," asked Cara.

"Do you have any idea how long you were gone," asked Jack, his blue eyes widening with surprise.

"Uhm, 2 hours?"

"5 years."

"5 years?!" Cara raised her eyebrows in shock. She looked at Jack, assuming he was joking, but his usual humor was gone. He was serious.

"North said to give up, but I knew you'd come back. I was by a lake when I had a feeling that, after all this time, you'd come back. Here you are."

A thought suddenly gripped Cara. "Jackson Overlander," she said. Jack raised an eyebrow at her.

"I haven't heard that name in a while."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember me telling you? Before I was Jack Frost, I was Jackson Overlander."

Cara remembered to a time on a water tower where they told each other everything. She then remembered him saying he once had a sister and what his name used to be. She saw the look in Jack's eyes, wondering where all his mischief has gone.

Gripping the collar of his hoodie, Cara pulled Jack down so that his lips would meet hers. As both arms went around her middle, Cara wrapped her arms around his neck allowing Jack to pick her up from the ground. Once he set her down, Cara saw a spark of mischief return.

"I'm back now, Jack, and I won't be leaving for a very long, long time."

Jack grinned a side-ways grin, his old spark of humor coming back. "Good," said Jack. "If you try to go, I'll trap you in an ice cube."

"You won't have to trap me in an ice cube," Cara said with a laugh. "I'm a willing participant."

Mischief flooded Jack's eyes before he lifted Cara off her feet and kissed her again. She tasted of sun, sea, and felt so warm against his cool skin.

The feelings he felt for her…

They were enough to remind him of the summer feelings he had long since forgotten.

* * *

**Author's Note: Last chapter I said North was German. I think he has a Russian accent. I don't remember.  
**

**Next chapter: Epilogue. :)**


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